Yorkshire v Lancashire, Kent v Surrey and more: county cricket – as it happened

LIVE – Updated at 20:06

Rolling report: Join James Wallace for updates from around the grounds on day three of the latest round of matches.

At 27 minutes past three on a sun-soaked and soporific afternoon at Headingley, Matt Parkinson hopped and skipped to the crease to send down another fizzing delivery. Joe Root, on 99, effortlessly clipped the ball away off his pads and scampered the single he needed to bring up his first century of the summer.

With all the coming and goings, firings and hirings of the past few weeks it was a timely reminder from Root, as if anyone needed one, that he is still around, still in great form and still the best red ball batter in the country.

Root lifted off his helmet to reveal that beaming, mischievous smile and raised his arms to the blue skies. It was a poignant moment for the batter formerly known as the England Men’s Test Captain and an innings that will have pleased the newly formed axis of Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum with the first Test of the summer looming a matter of weeks away. Yorkshire, just like England of late, needed Root’s runs, he fell to Parkinson eventually for 147 and the home side still trail Lancashire by 210 runs on first innings.

The sun was not just shining in God’s own county but up and down the shires. In Beckenham, despite the favourable batting conditions, Kent were put under the pump by Division One leaders Surrey. Jamie Overton bowling fast and nasty, he hit Ben Compton with a short ball that clonked the opener on the head, the helmet then fell off Compton’s head and plopped down onto the stumps.

Celebrations soon led to confusion, not for the stricken Compton but the Surrey fielders as the umpires informed them that the batter wasn’t out due to