COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP DIVISION ONE ROUNDUP: Ahead of the Men's One Day Cup final against Worcestershire, Hampshire secured a sixth red-ball draw in a row
Taunton (day four of four): Somerset 454-8, Hampshire 172 & 201-8 - match drawn
Nick Gubbins led a determined rearguard action as Hampshire eased their relegation fears with a battling draw on the final day of the County Championship Division One match with Somerset at Taunton.
The experienced left-hander faced 203 balls to score 37 and shared a crucial fourth-wicket stand with skipper Ben Brown that occupied 40 overs after their side had begun the day on 35 for 1, needing a further 247 runs to avoid an innings defeat.
Washington Sundar top-scored with 46 as Hampshire fought their way to 201 for 8 by the close, despite the best efforts of Somerset off-spinner Archie Vaughan, who finished with a career-best 6 for 96 from 50 overs, and Jack Leach, whose 2 for 40 from 49.5 overs, including 33 maidens, gave him match figures of 9 for 109.
Somerset took 16 points from the game to consolidate third place in the First Division table, while the eight points for the draw plus two bowling points meant Hampshire stayed out of the bottom two going into the final round of fixtures
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No play on three of the four days at Edgbaston led to an inevitable outcome (Getty Images)
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Edgbaston (day four of four): Essex 325-5, Warwickshire - match drawn
Essex virtually secured their County Championship Division One status as their match with Warwickshire ended in a rain-ruined draw at Edgbaston.
No play was possible due to rain on the final day, meaning that three of the four days were completely blank.
Essex collected ten points from the draw, putting them pretty much safe from relegation as two of the teams below them – Yorkshire and Durham – meet in next week's final round of games.
It would now take an extraordinary combination of results and bonus points to drag Essex through the trapdoor with Worcestershire.
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