Thread by @TomEvansEcho

The sun pours down like honey on the press tent at Aigburth, as Leonard Cohen might have written had he been in the press tent at Aigburth right now. It really is very hot.

Lancashire's players are running through fielding drills. Surely they'll declare overnight and give Derbyshire a day to chase 337?

No word of a declaration has reached the sweltering press tent as of yet - and Keaton Jennings, in training gear still, has just ambled off the pitch with 10 minutes until start of play...

Derbyshire are coming out to field. No declaration. Lancashire resume on 312/6, 336 ahead, with 90 overs to be bowled today.

I suppose, with the possibility of qualification for Lord's still there for Derbyshire, Dane Vilas' reasoning might be that they'll have a tilt at whatever Lancs set them - so delaying the declaration might open up more opportunities to take wickets.

Balders and Lambo at the crease for the hosts - the former on 56, the latter 16. One of the umpires has had to go back for the bails.

Plenty of intent from Lamb in the first over - a couple of firm drives to mid-off, a couple of swipes at wide ones - then he bludgeons a three to a very distant deep mid-wicket.

Lamb clobbers Conners for a couple of fours towards the pavilion, then the field goes back. 326/6, the lead is 340.

350. I can't count.

Lamb is in T20 mode and ramps both Dustin Melton and Sam Conners over the keeper's head, for four and six. 344/6 - the lead is (*gets out pencil and paper*) 368.

DECLARATION - Lamb taps one to leg to bring up a maiden first-class fifty, and Vilas calls them in. Lancs 356/6 declared; Derbyshire need 371 for an unlikely win.

*381. Sake Tom. Off 82 overs.

Here we go. Balderson has the ball, Derbyshire facing what would be their biggest ever run chase.

WICKET - Danny Lamb's love-hate relationship with the Derbyshire top order continues. Rob Jones takes a good low catch at second slip to dismiss skipper Billy Godleman for 4. 4/1.

With the usual caveats about such stats, Aigburth's previous highest fourth-innings chase was in 2002, when Kent chased 360 to win by six wickets. Centuries for Dave Fulton and Andrew Symonds.

WICKET - Lamb interrupts my stats-based reverie by striking Wayne Madsen on the pad. Derbyshire 20/2. This game could realistically go one of two ways from here.

Bit of early spin here, as Tom Hartley comes on to bowl the 12th over. Could be a big day for Lancs' two young left-armers.

Luis Reece sweeps. I don't have the data but from memory that's the first time anyone has swept Hartley in this game.

Leus du Plooy gets off a pair - just - as Jones parries a difficult chance at short leg.

George Burrows into the attack - Reece gets on top of the bounce and steers him for four through point. 44/2.

Rob Jones wakes up a sleepy Aigburth by swearing very, very loudly when he's hit on the leg by a Reece sweep. Then Hartley has an LBW shout turned down. 52/2.

LUNCH - and that is lunch. The game is meandering a bit, truth be told. Derbyshire 56/2, the target a distant 325 runs away. Lancs need to make things happen or this will just dwindle away to a draw.

Back out after lunch and it's Jack Morley to start.

Lancs think they've got Reece, but the umpire detects no bat on a bat-pad shout.

Was wondering why my typing was lagging on Tweetdeck, then glanced over at the 30-odd tabs of old Lancs scorecards I had open when I was looking up the run chase thing.

Another loud shout for LBW and/or caught amounts to nothing. Lancs' young spinners searching for a breakthrough; their captain backing them with increasingly attacking fields.

Leus du Plooy Leus du Plonks Hartley over mid-wicket for four, then drives him twice through the covers when he overcompensates. Derbyshire move on to 64/2 - looking fairly comfortable, it has to be said.

*72/2 - I started typing when I thought of "Leus du Plonks" then forgot to add the other boundaries.

Increasing desperation in Lancs' LBW shouts - the latest, against Reece, was probably going over the top from Hartley.

Good news for Lancs ahead of their Blast game on Friday - Steven Croft, who's been out with a calf injury, is heading for a net. He's been trudging purposefully around the perimeter of the pitch for the past two days now.

Reece brings up a well-made 50 with another sweep off Hartley, then adds four more and brings up the team 100 with a reverse. Derbyshire 103/2.

WICKET - Just after slog-sweeping Morley into the car park, Reece tries a more conventional lap and top-edges to Jennings at slip. Gone for 69; 118/3.

WICKET - Now Hartley strikes, getting the other set batsman, du Plooy, playing around a full toss for 34. 118/4. Could this be an opening? Still an hour to tea...

WICKET! - Was just composing a tweet about how the left-armers might create more chances against two right-handers, when Matt Critchley goes and ruins it by edging Hartley to slip. 122/5. All of a sudden, Harvey Hosein has another rescue job on his hands...

*Fynn Hudson-Prentice is out, not Critchley. Rest of tweet stands though.

WICKET! - Well, well, well... Morley zips one past Critchley's defensive push and knocks out his off stump. 126/6.

WICKET! Hartley persuades the umpire it was pad before bat and Anuj Dal is on his way. If Derbyshire are saving this game, it'll have to be Hosein and McKiernan again, you'd imagine... 131/7.

Hartley and Morley have bowled 30 overs between them, unbroken... they took a bit of tap when Reece and du Plooy were well set, but they're in one hell of a groove now.

WICKET!!! Hosein gone, trapped LBW by Morley. These two have taken 6/17 between them in the past nine overs.

Derbyshire are 134/8 and fading fast, it has to be said.

Fielders crowding the batsmen.

George Burrows is warming up in a way which suggests he’d very much like a go before tea.

McKiernan is raging against the dying of the light, smacking Morley over his head for four, but Derbyshire’s fate seems sealed. 10 minutes to tea, 150/8.

Burrows gets his wish, he’s coming on from the River End.

TEA - That’s the end of a session in which Lancashire’s young tweakers have put their side on the brink of victory. Derbyshire are 156/8, Lancs need two more wickets in the final session of their first class season.

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