Essex captain Tom Westley is going to have a bowl himself as his side search for the final two Surrey wickets, their chances of victory drifting further away by the minute.

It'd be a very unlikely chase if Essex were to get a chance to go for it - Surrey lead by 189 with a minimum of 21 overs left to bowl in the day's play.

Oh dear.

The light deteriorated and the rain has arrived and they have called it a day, and a week, at Derby.

Credit to Middlesex for trying to conjure up a result.

After just 32.3 overs of play across the opening three days they took seven wickets for the addition of 52 runs this morning and then forfeited their own first innings in pursuit of 10 more to set-up a run-chase.

It wasn't to be. The visitors leave with 11 points with eight for Derbyshire.

James Sales punches a single off Matt Parkinson and the scoreboard ticks over to indicate Northamptonshire's total has reached 400.

It means that, as it stands, these two teams will be dead level in the Division Two table.

That run for Sales also raised the 50 partnership between him and Nathan McSweeney, who is unbeaten on 107.

Fraser Sheat is back on in place of Dillon Pennington as the New Zealander searches for his maiden Notts wicket having arrived just last week.

Michael Booth picks up a couple to move within five of his fifty.

And then almost perishes as he drops into the legside and Ethan Bamber sets off for a run. After a slow start, Booth just makes it home as Sheat shies at the non-striker's end.

The visitors' search for a third bowling bonus point remains the only thing at stake here. Early handshakes you suspect.

You can start to relax now, Bears fans.

Michael Booth steps down the wicket and smacks a full ball back over the head of Dillon Pennington for four.

It moves them within 150 of Notts' first innings total and takes away the dreaded prospect of the follow-on.

Oh dear... the heavy clouds from this morning have returned, along with a few spots of drizzle and that's the signal for the umpires to take the players off the field.

Still 30 overs to be bowled, at this stage - but it'll be fewer than that now if they do get back on.

Now past three figures, Ben Foakes smacks Simon Harmer out of the ground for six.

Just two overs have been possible of Lancashire's second innings when the players have been taken off for bad light.

Keaton Jennings has two singles and Matty Hurst is yet to get off the mark but the murky conditions have seen the game halted with the Red Rose 81 behind.

Given the look of the rain radar, I'm not sure they will be back, sadly.

100 for Ben Foakespublished at 16:27 BST 30 August

16:27 BST 30 August

Essex 279 v Surrey 183 & 272-8

Image source, Shutterstock

Well batted, Ben Foakes!

A fantastic, battling knock by the Surrey wicketkeeper-batter off 205 balls has almost certainly helped his side earn a draw against Essex at Chelmsford.

He got an early let-off when he was dropped by Simon Harmer off his own bowling, but otherwise he's been exemplary.

Michael Booth mistimes a sweep and Liam Patterson-White turns and lets loose a mighty appeal. Not out.

Next over, Booth hammers Dillon Pennington through the covers for four.

Lovely shot from Warwickshire's top-scorer in this innings who has a half-century in his sights. He's on 38 from just 35 balls.

100 for Nathan McSweeneypublished at 16:24 BST 30 August

16:24 BST 30 August

Northants 386-4 v Kent 345

Image source, Getty Images

That's a fourth Championship century of the season for Nathan McSweeney, who cuts Matt Parkinson behind square and runs a quick two to reach his milestone from 135 balls.

Two of those hundreds have come against Kent, who will still be clinging to the hope of taking two more wickets for another bonus point.

James Sales has also played aggressively since coming in tea, with 21 from 19 balls.

Oof, Ben Foakes tries to cut Simon Harmer away and gets an edge, which goes straight through the legs of the fielder at slip and away for four.

No blame attached to the fielder there, it flew past him.

Foakes has 99 now.

Kevan James
BBC Radio Solent commentator

The sound of the hover cover pumping air under the covers is very welcome if you are a Hampshire supporter.

But the clean up is going to take a while.

What’s underneath the covers if they come off? Because the heavy shower earlier this afternoon got on to some parts of the square before the roll out covers could be extended.

Would there be enough time even if we get play?

It’s a shame because Hampshire have made all the running in this game and so much time has been lost.

Ben Foakes plays out a maiden off Sam Cook, turning down singles on a couple of occasions to try to protect number 10 batter Rahul Chahar.

Chahar doesn't seem to have any issues facing Simon Harmer, though, pulling a short ball from the spinner away for another boundary to move into double figures.

Sam Seecharan has been on as a sub fielder for good portions of the day.

This time it's to give five-wicket hero Olly Stone a turn off the pitch.

Notts will want to keep their strike bowler fresh with an East Midlands derby against Leicestershire coming up fast on Wednesday.

You'd assume Sussex aren't seriously eyeing this target, with the required run-rate approaching eight an over - but Tom Clark displays some aggression all the same, coming down the track to Archie Vaughan and clubbing him for a straight six.

Clark has eight, with Tom Haines 16 not out and there are a minimum 33 overs to be bowled.

I'm getting de ja vu.

Middlesex want to bowl pace, the umpires have taken a reading and say no. The fielders are marching off leaving Wayne Madsen and Martin Andersson in the middle looking a little perplexed.

They are off, for now... 40 overs remain, in theory.