Richard Levi continued to show good form with his third fifty in as many games after dropping down the order as Northamptonshire took control against Lancashire in the English County Championship on Monday.

His 57 was a measured innings, containing seven fours off  118 balls. After struggling as an opener and being left out of three matches, Levi has found his comfort zone at No 5, where he hammered his best first-class score of 157 against Essex. He has now struck 419 runs from six matches, at an average of just over 52.

Northants were 388-6 at stumps and Ashwell Prince, Lancashire’s leading scorer by some way, will have to step up once again.

Rikki Wessels got back into the swing of things with an aggressive 65 off 94 balls (7×4, 1×6), to help boost Nottinghamshire to 240 all out against Worcestershire. He and former Zimbabwe captain Brendon Taylor (69) were the only batsmen to withstand the onslaught. Worcs were 89-2 at the close.

Meanwhile, Tom Curran completed a 10-for as Surrey beat Gloucestershire by an innings and 118 runs. Curran took 7-20 in the  first innings, when Glos were held to 113 in reply to Surrey’s 448 (Dean Elgar 98), and then added another three as the hapless visitors ere bundled out for 155 in their follow-on.

Compiled by Mark Salter