Tom Curran's batting attack puts Surrey in a strong position

Tom Curran launched an attack on Somerset's bowlers as Surrey piled on the pressure on the third day of their crucial Vitality County Championship match at Taunton.

The all-rounder hit eight sixes and six fours in a match-winning innings of 86 from 75 balls, rescuing the Division One leaders from a dangerous 228 from eight in the first innings and enabling them to score 321.

Off-spinner Archie Vaughan finished with six for 102 while Jack Leach took four for 105, but Surrey had carved out a narrow four-run lead and soon extended it, reducing their opponents' lead to 194 for nine by stumps on a rain-interrupted afternoon, with Shakib Al Hasan taking four for 83.

Worcestershire all-rounder Tom Taylor produced a lethal spell with the ball en route to career-best figures as Warwickshire were forced to follow suit at New Road.

Taylor took five wickets in six overs in the morning, taking figures of six for 28 as Warwickshire were bowled out for 128 in 42.2 overs in the first innings.

The 29-year-old scored another point in Warwickshire's second innings as they fell short by 179 runs, taking his tally in five matches for Worcestershire to 23 wickets.

The visitors were a tougher opponent the second time around, with captain Alex Davies and Will Rhodes both scoring half-centuries.

But Matthew Waite, Ethan Brookes and Taylor each took a wicket, leaving Warwickshire eight runs behind and finishing 171 for three.

Jamie Porter and Simon Harmer shared nine wickets in the first innings as Essex beat Nottinghamshire by 93 on a morning of utter carnage in Chelmsford.

Seam bowler Porter took five wickets for the third time this season and for the second time in two consecutive matches, finishing with five for 35 – his best score of the season, which also included three wickets in five balls.

When they resumed 364 runs behind, Nottinghamshire captain Haseeb Hameed led the fightback with an unbeaten 100 and scored an unbroken 131 runs for the third wicket with Joe Clarke (62 not out). Nottinghamshire ended up 180 for two, still 184 runs away from making Essex bat again.

Durham maintained their absolute dominance against Lancashire on a day when David Bedingham became the highest individual points scorer in the county's first-class history.

Bedingham's 279 surpassed Martin Love's 273 against Hampshire in 2003 and his innings was the basis for his team's 573 for nine declared innings.

Trailing by 345 runs, Lancashire finished the day 155 runs for four poorly placed runs, with Matthew Potts taking three of the wickets, leaving Keaton Jennings' side needing another 190 runs to avoid their fourth innings defeat of the season.

Kent fought hard to save their Division One status after being forced to draw with Hampshire on a rainy third day at Canterbury.

The hosts could be relegated at the end of this round of matches, but they had scored 70 without defeat in the second innings and were still 126 points behind, with Tawanda Muyeye unbeaten on 46 and Ben Compton not out on 24.

Earlier, Kyle Abbott had taken five for 46 as Kent were bowled out for 207 in the first innings; Compton was their top scorer with 51.

Heavy rain fell during the already shortened evening session and play was eventually abandoned for the day at 5:26 p.m.

Sussex are on the verge of returning to League One after securing their seventh win of the season against Glamorgan with one day to spare.

After building a first-innings lead of 305, they bowled out Glamorgan for 218 to win by an innings and 87 runs at Hove.

Yorkshire also moved a step closer to promotion after securing a three-day victory over Leicestershire despite a lengthy weather-related interruption.

The home team, trailing by 281 in the first innings after being dismissed for 98, were bowled out for 209 in the second over, with all-rounder George Hill playing a prominent role.

The 23-year-old seamer took the last six wickets, his season-best six for 59, to give Yorkshire their fourth win in five matches with an innings and 72 runs.

Debutant Archie Bailey led the rout as Gloucestershire's bowlers triggered a dramatic collapse of Middlesex on an eventful third day at Lord's.

Bailey scored four for 30 as the hosts crashed from 122 to two for 165, leaving Gloucestershire all out for 234 to win on the fourth day.

Leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal shone with a career-best nine for 99 to bowl Northamptonshire to their first win of the season in three days against Derbyshire.

The experienced Indian white-ball international followed up his five-wicket first-innings haul with four for 54 to dismiss Derbyshire for just 132 at Wantage Road for the second time.