The prospect of slipping to a fifth LV= County Championship defeat of the season provoked a defiant reaction from Warwickshire after their latest batting collapse against Somerset at Edgbaston.

Having failed to reach 150 in the first innings for the fourth match in a row, they hit back with four wickets for leg spinner Imran Tahir as the visitors laboured to 151 for eight in their second innings, a lead of 279.

Seamers and spinners were equally successful in sharing out 17 wickets on the second day on an awkward pitch - but slow left-armer Murali Kartik (five for 30) was the pick of the bowlers.

A dogged half-century from captain Rob Key and a contrasting unbeaten 80, from 83 balls, by Darren Stevens underpinned Kent's shaky reply to Nottinghamshire's 462 at a humid Tunbridge Wells.

The hosts reached 274 for five in their first innings and will go into the third day still trailing by 188 runs and requiring a further 39 to avoid following on.

Essex replied to Hampshire's 300 with 209 for seven at The Rose Bowl in the other top flight match.

Matt Walker top-scored with an unbeaten 60, while fast bowler James Tomlinson took three wickets for the hosts.

Earlier, Essex pace bowler Maurice Chambers had taken the last three Hampshire wickets to fall to finish with figures of five for 49.

In Division Two, Claude Henderson re-established Leicestershire's authority with two key wickets in five balls after Surrey had battled their way back in the match between the bottom two sides.

Surrey slumped from 110 for one to 160 for six at the close and now face the prospect of following on on an Oval pitch offering increasing turn.

Their prospects had seemed far better when they claimed Leicestershire's last five wickets for 22 in six overs after lunch, restricting the visitors to a total of 479.

Stephen Peters and Alex Wakely scored a century apiece as they shared a third-wicket partnership of 182 to take Northamptonshire to 280 for four in reply to Middlesex's 347 all out at Lord's.

Peters, who scored a career-best 183 not out in leading Northamptonshire to a six-wicket victory over Middlesex at Wantage Road in April, picked up where he left off to make an unbeaten 115 off 231 balls.

Wakely was more enterprising on the way to only his second hundred in 26 first-class matches, hitting 15 fours in his 108 off 193 balls.

On the first day at Derby, Murray Goodwin made Derbyshire pay a high price for dropping him as he and Robin Martin-Jenkins scored centuries to rescue Sussex.

Goodwin was missed at slip on 15 and went on to his 43rd first-class hundred for the county while Martin-Jenkins made the fifth of his career.

The pair shared a stand of 225, Sussex's highest ever against Derbyshire, after the home side had reduced them to 126 for six with Tom Lungley taking three early wickets.

But Goodwin's escape and some indisciplined bowling allowed Sussex to mount a recovery that took them to 371 for eight at the close.