The Cricketer rounds up the action from day three of the final round of LV= Insurance County Championship fixtures
James Vince and Keith Barker combined to strengthen Hampshire's hold on second place and push champions Warwickshire to the brink of relegation on the third day of their LV= Insurance County Championship clash at Edgbaston.
Replying to the home side's 272 for four declared, Hampshire made 311 thanks to Vince (98, 150 balls) and former Edgbaston favourite Barker (76, 111).
Warwickshire closed on 62 for 2 second time round - 23 ahead - but, after rain took out much of the first two days, a draw is overwhelmingly likely. That would secure a runners-up spot for Vince's side and send the Bears down.
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Northampton (third day of four): Essex 263 & 63-5, Northamptonshire 163 - Essex lead by 163 runs with five second-innings wickets remaining
Ben Sanderson and Jack White removed Essex's top order to bowl their side back into contention at the end of the third day of this County Championship clash at Wantage Road.
Sanderson struck twice early in Essex’s second innings to account for Sir Alastair Cook and Tom Westley in consecutive maiden overs. White also picked up a wicket in successive overs to reduce the Eagles to 52 for five and snatch back the momentum after the hosts had conceded a first innings deficit of exactly 100.
Earlier Essex seamer Ben Allison returned career-best bowling figures of five wickets for 32 as Northamptonshire were bundled out for 163. Allison's maiden five-wicket haul followed his heroics with the bat yesterday when he registered his highest score of 69 not out. With Shane Snater also taking two scalps, Northamptonshire lost their last five wickets for 16 runs.
When bad light prompted an early finish Essex were 63 for 5, a lead of 163, which sets up an intriguing final day tomorrow.
Ben Sanderson (Harry Trump/Getty Images)
Worcester (third day of four): Worcestershire 225, Middlesex 509 - Middlesex lead by 284 runs
Middlesex are on the verge of clinching promotion to Division One of the County Championship after century-maker Steve Eskinazi, John Simpson and Pieter Malan played major roles in them securing maximum batting points against Worcestershire at New Road.
A boundary by Eskinazi off Ed Barnard ensured the 400-run mark was achieved with 10 balls to spare of the 110 overs permitted for bonus points.
The efforts of the trio earned their side a first innings lead of – with Simpson becoming the first Middlesex keeper-batter to complete 1,000 first-class runs in a season since Keith Brown in 1991.
With only a draw required to secure a top two spot, it will require something of extraordinary proportions on the final day to prevent the champagne corks from popping tomorrow afternoon after they obtained a lead of 284.
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Hove (third day of four): Glamorgan 533-9d, Sussex 258, 312-0 - Sussex lead by 37 runs with 10 second-innings wickets remaining
Captain Tom Haines completed two hundreds in the same day and opening partner Ali Orr thrashed a magnificent unbeaten 185 to transform Sussex's fortunes and end Glamorgan's promotion hopes in the County Championship.
Haines, who had resumed on 34, became the first Sussex batsman since 2014 to carry his bat with 108 but Sussex were still bowled out for 258 in their first innings and followed on 275 behind at the 1st Central County Ground.
At that stage of the third day, Glamorgan were firmly on course for the victory that would have kept their hopes of climbing out of Division Two alive.
But as it emerged that rivals Middlesex were getting themselves into an unbeatable position against Worcestershire to claim second spot, Glamorgan spirits seemed to sag and after tea and Orr and Haines took full advantage.
By stumps, they had put on a magnificent 311 together in only 53 overs, with 190 of their runs coming in boundaries. Orr finished 185 not out (163 balls, 18 fours, 9 sixes) and Haines will resume on 121 (157 balls, 16 fours) with Sussex now 37 runs in front after a remarkable day produced 481 runs.
Sam Evans kept Derbyshire at bay (Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images)
Nottingham (third day of four): Nottinghamshire 662-5d & 121-2d, Durham 514-2 - Durham need 563 more runs to win with eight second-innings wickets remaining
Nottinghamshire secured promotion to Division One of the County Championship and are effectively Division Two champions already, although their supporters will have to wait until the final day of the season to see it mathematically confirmed.
They bowled Durham out for 207 just 10 overs after lunch in reply to their mammoth 662 for 5 declared. Yet they eschewed the chance to win the title with a flourish - and perhaps a day to spare - by not enforcing the follow-on, to the bemusement of some spectators.
In the event, after bad light kept the players off for the best part of an hour, Nottinghamshire declared their second innings on 121 for 2, with Haseeb Hameed 49 not out, and Joe Clarke on 48.
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Derby (third day of four): Leicestershire 249 131-2, Derbyshire 568-9d - Leicestershire are 188 runs behind with eight second-innings wickets remaining
Sam Evans held up Derbyshire's victory charge on the third day of the County Championship match against Leicestershire at Derby.
The opener stood firm to give his side a chance of saving the game after Derbyshire declared on 568 for 9, their highest score against Leicestershire, and a lead of 319.
It was the fifth time this season Derbyshire have scored 500 or more in a first-class innings, a club record, with Wayne Madsen's 92 making him the leading run scorer in the championship so far on 1,273.
Leicestershire's promising teenage leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed finished with 5 for 114 from 28.2 overs in his third first-class match and Evans provided the visitors with more encouragement with an unbeaten 59 out of 131 for 2 when bad light ended play.
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