COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP DIVISION ONE ROUNDUP: After some disrupted, batter-dominated days, there were some predictable outcomes across the country
Southampton (day four of four): Worcestershire 679-7 dec, Hampshire 221 & 294-4 - match drawn
Ben Brown demonstrated his captaincy suitability by batting the entire day to save his Hampshire side from a County Championship mauling by Worcestershire.
Brown, who took over the leadership from James Vince over the winter, scored 109 not out, but it was the 331 minutes he batted that were crucial to securing a draw.
Hampshire had been completely outplayed for the opening three days, but with Brown, Tilak Varma, and Liam Dawson's half-centuries brought respectability back to the hosts – who took nine points from the match.
Bottom-placed Worcestershire toiled all day but could only take one wicket, but the 16 points they claimed could provide the foundations of an escape from relegation trouble.
Related: Essex crumble to allow Yorkshire safe passage to victory
Gay and Lees registered Durham's highest partnership for any wicket against Surrey (Getty Images)
Kia Oval (day four of four): Surrey 820-9d, Durham 362 & 262-0 - match draw
Centuries from both Emilio Gay and Alex Lees, in a superb unbroken opening partnership of 262, made sure of a comfortable County Championship draw for Durham against Surrey on day four at the Kia Oval.
Gay hit an unbeaten 156 while Lees followed up his first innings 125 with 100 not out – reaching his second hundred of the match with what proved to be the last ball before hands were shaken at 5pm.
Durham's successful rearguard action, covering the last seven sessions of the match, owed much to the skill and stamina of their captain.
Lees and Gay's stand was a new Durham partnership record against Surrey for any wicket, beating 183 by Will Smith and Scott Borthwick at Chester-le-Street in 2013.
Hove (day four of four): Warwickshire 415 & 260-6d, Sussex 533 - match drawn
Warwickshire batted through a rain-affected final day to draw their County Championship match with Sussex at Hove.
Tom Latham led the way with 69, and there were half-centuries for skipper Alex Davies and Sam Hain with Warwickshire on 260 for 4, a lead of 142, when the players shook hands at 4.50pm. Sussex took 14 points, Warwickshire 13.
After only 21 wickets had fallen on the first three days, there was little likelihood of a clatter on day four, and the already slim odds on Sussex forcing a victory lengthened when 18 overs were lost to rain and bad light before lunch.
Sussex employed spin for most of the day, with Ollie Robinson even bowling two overs of off-breaks to support the efforts of off-spinner Jack Carson and slow left-armer James Coles, who bowled 53.3 overs between them.
Related: Kookaburra or not, silly shots bring wickets for both Yorkshire and Essex
Tom Latham led Warwickshire through the final day at Hove (Getty Images)
Taunton (day four of four): Somerset 379 & 238-4d, Nottinghamshire 509 - match drawn
Somerset's Tom Kohler-Cadmore defied Nottinghamshire with a match-saving final day century as the County Championship Division One match at Taunton.
The visitors had realistic hopes of victory when reducing their opponents to 28 for three, still needing 102 to avoid an innings defeat.
But Kohler-Cadmore hit an unbeaten 147, off 196 balls, with 11 fours and six sixes, sharing stands of 96 with James Rew and 114 with Tom Abell, to see Somerset to 238 for 4 by the time the players shook hands at 4.50pm.
Left-arm spinner Liam Patterson-White bowled 29 overs unchanged from the River End, either side of lunch and finished with 4 for 104 from 33, but no other Notts bowler could make a significant impression with the Kookaburra ball on a pitch offering only occasional turn and no assistance for the seamers. Somerset took 11 points from the game and Notts 12.
Lead image: Harry Trump
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