Josh Bohannon continued his impressive year with a season's best score of 170 for Lancashire in their LV= Insurance County Championship match with Warwickshire.
The top-order batsman had reached his fifty before the close on day two and picked up where he left off the following morning at Emirates Old Trafford to reach a second red-ball hundred of the campaign.
Bohannon was eventually out after seven hours and 21 minutes having faced 334 balls, falling five runs short of a first-class best as Lancashire made 341 in reply to Warwickshire's first innings total of 371.
Liam Livingstone eased fears over a potential shoulder injury by making 12 before he was one of six scalps for Liam Norwell, who finished with six for 57 while Dom Sibley and Chris Benjamin helped the away side make it through for the loss of only one wicket.
Elsewhere in Division One, Nottinghamshire were the first to get off the mark after they produced a comprehensive display at Somerset.
Brett Hutton finished off the hosts' first innings with two early wickets to dismiss Tom Abell's side for 107, which saw the follow-on enforced.
Somerset opener Tom Lammonby did his best to turn the tide with a patient 34 but wickets continued to tumble as Dane Paterson claimed a four-fer with Jack Leach (35) and Marchant de Lange (36) delaying the inevitable as the hosts were dismissed for 181 to lose by an innings and 160 runs.
Gary Ballance's century has Yorkshire on course to follow Nottinghamshire in claiming a Division One victory away to Hampshire.
A score of 101 not out was the bedrock of the visitors 312 for six declared, which has set the home side 393 for victory and they lost two wickets before the close to face an uphill struggle on the final day.
Essex needed only 32 minutes to wrap up victory at Sophia Gardens after taking the last four Glamorgan wickets in quick succession in Division Two.
Veteran Stevens had been 55 not out at the end of day two and smashed his way to another century in stunning fashion as the visitors were dismissed for 262 to set a target of 386 for the hosts.
Milnes – fresh from his exploits at The Hundred – then claimed six for 53 to bring proceedings to a close but only after Ben Mike and Ed Barnes had each hit 70 for Leicestershire to briefly halt the inevitable.
Crucial lower-order runs have put Middlesex in a strong position to beat Derbyshire going into the final day at Lord's.
Sam Robson's 52 was backed up by 33 not out from Toby Roland-Jones and 31 by Tim Murtagh to set the away side 334 to win.
All three results are in play at Worcestershire where Sussex hold a 250-run lead having dismissed the hosts for 213.
Henry Crocombe finished with three for 44 before half-centuries by Ali Orr (57) and Danial Ibrahim (56*) saw the visiting side close on 199 for six.
