COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP DIVISION ONE ROUNDUP: Last summer's England Test call-up took five wickets to help maintain Nottinghamshire's position at the top of the table while Warwickshire and Essex settled for draws against Worcestershire and Surrey
Headingley (day four of four): Nottinghamshire 228 & 392-8d, Yorkshire 159 & 299 - Nottinghamshire won by 163 runs
Five-wicket pacer Dillon Pennington helped Nottinghamshire complete a fourth win in seven matches, this one against Yorkshire at Headingley shortly before tea on day four, to strengthen their position at the Division One summit in the County Championship.
Struggling Yorkshire were set a 463-target during the third afternoon and closed on 176 for 5, losing four of those wickets in the evening session, including one in the day’s final over to Pennington.
Yorkshire started the fourth day well, with top-scorer Matthew Revis and George Hill sharing a 54-run partnership to raise hopes of avoiding a fourth defeat in seven matches. But they needed much more and were later bowled out for 299 inside 121 overs, slipping to a 163-run defeat.
The part-time spin of Freddie McCann made the breakthrough by bowling Hill with the first ball of a solitary over shortly before the new ball. Pennington then removed Revis for 45 just after lunch and finished with an impressive season's best 5 for 106 from 31 overs.
Nottinghamshire claimed 19 points to Yorkshire's three and reach the midway point in the four-day campaign well placed to claim a first Championship title since 2010.
Not since 2011 had they won at Headingley, a venue at which they have only ever won five Championship matches, including this.
Related: Somerset complete Durham turnaround as Tom Lammonby reminds everyone that time is on his side
Sam Curran top-scored with 77 in Surrey's second innings to help them hold on for a draw on the final day against Essex (Getty Images)
Kia Oval (day four of four): Essex 217 & 479, Surrey 279 & 289-7 - Match drawn
Sam Curran added 77 to a first innings 70, in his first red-ball appearance since last September, as Surrey saw out a rain-hit final day on 289 for seven to secure a draw against Essex at the Kia Oval.
Curran's 121-ball effort held the home side's batting together as seamer Jamie Porter and off-spinner Simon Harmer threatened to bowl Essex to a second County Championship win of the season.
Six separate rain interruptions during the day – all of them short, but lopping 20 overs in all from the final day's allocation – did not help Essex's cause. In the end, a 51-run stand between Jamie Overton and Jordan Clark proved decisive.
Overton stayed just over two hours for his 47 from 102 balls, edging Porter to third slip just before 6pm from what became the last ball of the game, while Clark finished 23 not out.
Porter finished with 5 for 88 from 27 overs and Harmer 2 for 94 from 34, with Essex taking 11 points from the draw and Surrey, who stay second in the Division One table, picked up 12.
Related: Tough runs ignite Sam Hain's season to ram home Warwickshire advantage
New Road (day four of four): Warwickshire 227 & 280, Worcestershire 181 & 181-8 - Match drawn
Warwickshire were left frustrated at New Road as persistent rain ended the County Championship derby when they needed just two more wickets to beat Worcestershire.
Chasing 327 for victory, Worcestershire were 181 for 8 when the players went off for bad light just before tea. Much to the Bears' anguish, rain then arrived to wash out the last 47 overs.
Worcestershire had resumed on the final day on 54 for two and appeared destined for defeat when they declined to 87 for six against an attack led by fit-again Chris Rushworth (3 for 30) and Chris Woakes (3 for 53).
Warwickshire were closing in on victory, but Matthew Waite (44 not out), Ethan Brookes (34) and No.10 Tom Taylor (10 not out) showed great resolve to defy long enough for rain to come to their side's rescue.
Lead Image: Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com
Welcome to www.thecricketer.com - the online home of the world’s oldest cricket magazine. Breaking news, interviews, opinion and cricket goodness from every corner of our beautiful sport, from village green to national arena.