Leaders Yorkshire turned the screw against Essex on the second day of the LV= County Championship Division One encounter at Scarborough.

The Yorkshire bowlers restricted their opponents to 159 for five in pursuit of 516, leaving them requiring a further 208 to avoid the possibility of the follow-on.

A double bowling change by Yorkshire skipper Andrew Gale, who had earlier been dismissed for 135, proved key.

Alastair Cook was lbw to Steven Patterson's second ball and Billy Godleman suffered a similar fate off the final ball of leg-spinner Adil Rashid's first over, after the duo had replaced West Indian Tino Best and Oliver Hannon-Dalby in the attack.

Half-centuries from Ali Brown and Steven Mullaney steadied Nottinghamshire's reply in their match against Hampshire at the Rose Bowl.

Kabir Ali had earlier ripped through the top order, reducing them to 17 for three in pursuit of Hampshire's first-innings total of 300.

But Brown hit 81 and Mullaney an unbeaten 72 as Nottinghamshire recovered to reach 273 for seven at the close.

Rikki Clarke returned his first ever five-wicket haul in first-class cricket, but visitors Warwickshire still struggled to stay in contention in the clash at Canterbury.

Despite former England all-rounder Clarke's eye-catching tally of five for 60, Kent remained in command for much of the second day to reach 374 for nine at stumps for an overall lead of 124 at the mid-point of the encounter.

Kyle Hogg continued to make a positive impression on his first Championship appearance of the season for Lancashire on a frustrating second day of their game against Somerset at Old Trafford.

Hogg, who had dismissed Arul Suppiah late yesterday, added the wickets of Nick Compton and Marcus Trescothick as Somerset reached 155 for four in reply to Lancashire's first-innings total of 292.

In Division two, a battling innings of 74 from veteran Paul Nixon was not enough to prevent Worcestershire taking command of their game against Leicestershire at Grace Road.

Despite Nixon's efforts Leicestershire were bowled out for 181 with young left-arm seamer Jack Shantry claiming career-best figures of five for 49 as Worcestershire gained a first-innings lead of 127.

By the close they had increased that to 189 reaching 62 for two in their second innings.

Matt Prior scored his first hundred for over a year in front of England captain Andrew Strauss and national selector James Whitaker to hold Sussex's batting together on day one of their clash with Middlesex at Hove.

The 26-year-old's unbeaten 123 came in a disappointing total of 217 as the Second Division leaders' decision to bat first on a well-grassed pitch was undermined by some consistently probing Middlesex seam bowling.

Middlesex's innings did not start to promisingly, though, and they closed on 46 for three.

Sixteen wickets fell on a dramatic day at the Brit Oval where Gloucestershire finished 190 runs ahead of Surrey with three second-innings wickets in hand.

Surrey, who started the day at 56 for one, 173 runs behind, lost nightwatchman Chris Tremlett to the fourth ball from Gemaal Hussain and things did not improve as they were dismissed for 178.

Stuart Meaker then set about trying to drag the hosts back into the match, though, his figures of four for 29 helping restrict Gloucestershire to 139 for seven in their second innings.