Yorkshire dent Lancashire's title hopes with dogged resistance on day four

Lancashire set Yorkshire 302 to win and quickly reduced them to 67 for 3. However, Tom Kohler-Cadmore's 34 not out off 159 balls left the home side frustrated and the Roses clash drawn

Old Trafford (fourth day of four): Lancashire 276 & 280-5d, Yorkshire 255 & 102-3 - match drawn

Scorecard

Lancashire's hopes of winning the LV= Insurance County Championship title are realistically over after their bid for a final day Roses victory was thwarted by a dogged Yorkshire batting display at Emirates Old Trafford.

The Red Rose set the White an unlikely victory target of 302 in a minimum of 84 overs and then reduced them to 67 for 3 inside 35.

But Tom Kohler-Cadmore, a Hundred winner with Trent Rockets on Saturday, played an innings of 34 not out off 159 balls to leave the home side disappointed, Yorkshire finishing on 102 for 3 in the 64th over when rain curtailed play at 4.10pm.

Third-placed Lancashire came into this fixture 34 points behind leaders Surrey, who have not played this week, aiming for three wins from their final three games and a favour or two from elsewhere.

In turn, Yorkshire, only 19 clear of the relegation places in Division One with this their first of four remaining games, boosted their bid to retain top-flight status.

^{Will Williams made an early breakthrough to dismiss Adam Lyth [Nathan Stirk/Getty Images]}

Both sides claimed 13 points, and Lancashire are 21 behind Surrey having played one game more, while sixth-placed Yorkshire are now 25 clear of second-bottom Warwickshire. They both have three still to play.

Lancashire scored 77 runs in 10 overs of batting at the start of play, losing Dane Vilas (28) and George Lavelle to spinners Dom Bess and Jonny Tattersall on the way to 280 for 5 declared in their second innings. The latter, with his part-time leg-spinners, added his second first-class wicket when wicketkeeper Lavelle miscued him high to mid-on.

Steven Croft finished unbeaten on 45 before his bowling colleagues got to work on a cautious Yorkshire top order who did not entertain the prospect of chasing the target.

Despite this Adam Lyth and George Hill both fell to loose drives as the visitors slipped to 26 for 2 inside 17 overs. Lyth was caught behind off the seam of Will Williams before Hill was well caught by Vilas diving to his right at second slip off Tom Hartley's left-arm spin.

Yorkshire, 30 for 2 at lunch, came out for the second session with more intent. That did not mean they were going after the runs, but they were defending with more conviction and looking to put any bad balls away.

By this time, they were facing the double spin of Hartley and leg-spinner Matt Parkinson. Kohler-Cadmore and impressive debutant opener Fin Bean shared 41 and took leg-side boundaries off Parkinson early in the session.

^{Tom Hartley picked up two wickets [Nathan Stirk/Getty Images]}

But it was Hartley who broke through again when Bean (25) edged behind a ball which kicked out of the rough - 67 for 3 in the 35th.

From there, came the key partnership in this game's outcome.

By now, runs were of no consequence. It was just about batting time for Yorkshire, whose cause was taken by Kohler-Cadmore and Will Fraine, the fourth-wicket pair who shared an unbroken 35 inside 30 overs. Kohler-Cadmore hit a similarly determined 51 in the first innings of this game.

At the end of this season, the 28-year-old will leave Yorkshire for Somerset, a county who started this round of fixtures second bottom in the table before their home draw with Gloucestershire.

The right-hander played well against seam and spin, including one over of part-time off-spin just before tea from new ball quick Tom Bailey. He padded up against spin out of the rough and defended stoutly, even taking a nasty blow on the right thumb from a rising Williams delivery just before tea, where Yorkshire reached at 84 for 3 after 53 overs.

Fraine finished with an unbeaten 18 off 83 balls, and there was only 40 minutes of play after tea before rain forced an early end to a hard-fought Roses fixture.