Stuart Meaker took a career-best 8 for 52 to give Surrey what appeared to be an excellent chance to record their second win of the season against Somerset at The Oval only for Rory Hamilton-Brown, who is normally the most positive of captains, to suffer a rare attackof conservatism.

If Surrey are the Manchester United of cricket, perhaps Chris Adams is modelling himself on Sir Alex Ferguson. Or maybe Phil Brown.

Worcestershire foiled Surrey's bid for an improbable win at New Road after the visitors, who had been bowled out for 113 in their first innings, stacked up 431 for 7 following on.

On another day decimated by the miserable spring weather, the dark clouds avoided Trent Bridge but the one currently following Andrew Strauss clung doggedly to its purpose.

Durham, who began the season among the favourites for the Championship, continued their troubled start by being bowled out for 125 by an injury-hit Somerset side containing five players aged 20 or under yesterday.

Worcestershire captain Daryl Mitchell paid a high price for his enterprise as his side were dismissed for 150 to give Middlesex an 132-run win in yesterday's First Division at Lord's.

The recent rain and flooding has forced organisers of the annual British Asparagus Festival to cancel the event - because of a lack of asparagus.

High winds and driving rain have continued to batter Britain with the south suffering the worst of the April washout today.

Nottinghamshire 243 & 88-2 Worcestershire 157 (Nottinghamshire lead by 174 runs)

After Andrew Strauss's frustration at Lord's last week, Ian Bell's bid to find form in the County Championship ran into trouble against Sussex yesterday. Bell made a seven-ball duck, in complete contrast to his Warwickshire and England team-mate Jonathan Trott.

Mark Ramprakash has done a lot of talking recently – irking every bowler in the land by moaning about how hard it is to make runs in England in April – and his mouth got him into trouble again yesterday when he was reprimanded by the England and Wales Cricket Board for his bad language.

Warwickshire, pipped to the title by Lancashire on the last day of a dramatic 2011 County Championship, enjoyed a measure of revenge by inflicting a five-wicket defeat on the champions at a damp Liverpool yesterday.

Having already declared his decision to play in the Indian Premier League to be the right one for his England career, Kevin Pietersen came up with spectacular justification in Delhi yesterday. While his England captain, Andrew Strauss, endured a day of frustration watching a washout at Lord's, Pietersen smashed his maiden Twenty20 century to propel Delhi Daredevils to a five-wicket win over Deccan Chargers.