The third round of Specsavers County Championship fixtures is in the books and there was no shortage of intrigue.
Here, Press Association Sport's Rory Dollard picks out some highlights.
STAR BILLING Liam Livingstone. Among plenty of impressive performances, the efforts of Lancashire's rising star and stand-in captain stand out. The Red Rose looked down and out on day one against Somerset and only scraped along to 109 all out thanks to Livingstone's gutsy 68. He followed with a career-best 168 in the second dig, an innings which included some gloriously brazen strikes and helped set up victory on the fourth evening. His stock continues to soar.
TWEET OF THE ROUND
"We *think* Wayne Madsen has just invented a new shot. ?. Any idea what we should call it?!"
The official @CountyChamp account posted footage of the Derbyshire batsman dipping to his knees outside off stump to get underneath a length ball from Kent's Matt Coles. The resulting uppercut sailed for six as Coles watched on, hands on hips.
TALKING POINT Joe Root's first appearance since becoming England's Test skipper was always going to draw interest, particularly for fans of the 'captaincy weighing heavy' trope. The last time he appeared in the championship for Yorkshire he casually posted 213 against Surrey, but his outing against Hampshire was a damp squib. He made eight in the first innings and two in the second and will now transition to the white ball ahead of the Champions Trophy.
STAT ATTACK
Only two of the 18 teams boast a 100% record after three games, Division Two front-runners Nottinghamshire and Kent. That is testament to the competition in the streamlined top flight and to the strength of their performances by the promotion pace-setters. The pair were well fancied, Nottinghamshire having been relegated with a powerful squad and Kent finishing second to Essex last time out.
BALLANCE BEAMS Gary Ballance scored a century in the first innings and an unbeaten 203 in the second against Hampshire to earn his side a draw. With three three-figure scores in as many games, Ballance has equalled the number he managed in 27 innings last term and underlined just how well he has taken to a life of leadership. Discarded by England after a difficult winter and placed in charge of a Yorkshire side in transition, he has responded manfully.
DOUBLE DUTY A fast-forward match between Worcestershire and Northamptonshire was over inside just two days as none of the four completed innings reached the 50-over mark. Worcestershire, having come out on top in the blink-and-you-miss it encounter duly sent three of their side - Joe Clarke, Brett D'Oliveira and Tom Fell - to play for the second XI on Tuesday, presumably to get some more cricket under their belts.
NEXT CHAMPIONSHIP FIXTURES Division One, May 19: Essex v Hampshire, Lancashire v Yorkshire, Middlesex v Surrey, Somerset v Warwickshire.
Division Two, May 19: Derbyshire v Worcestershire, Glamorgan v Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire v Kent. May 21: Sussex v Durham.
Source: PA
