CHAMPIONSHIP DIGEST: Catch up with all Wednesday's action

The Cricketer rounds up all the ongoing games up and down the country in Division One and Division Two

DIVISION ONE

Headingley: (third day of four): Yorkshire 269 & 44-6 v Kent 482-8 dec & 337-7d

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Sam Billings became the first player to score two hundreds in the same County Championship match at Emerald Headingley as Kent set Yorkshire a target of 551 shortly after tea on day three and hurtled towards victory with six wickets.

Billings, on the fringes of England’s limited-overs teams, is making a late play for a winter Test call-up having scored three hundreds in his last three Division One innings.

The Kent captain hit 100 in the second innings of last week’s win at Nottinghamshire before adding 138 in the first innings here and then 122 not out off 156 balls.

Kent started their second innings two overs before close on day two with a lead of 213, opting not to enforce the follow-on.

Billings underpinned their progress to 337 for 7 and declared seven overs after tea, leaving Yorkshire with 22 overs of batting before close. They reached 44 for 6, four of them for Darren Stevens.

Kent are set to replace Yorkshire in fourth place in the table ahead of next week’s final round. 

Trent Bridge: (third day of four): Nottinghamshire 498 & 105-5 v Warwickshire 488

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Dominic Sibley delivered another timely reminder that he may be the man that England should turn to for their overseas Test match engagements this winter.

The 24-year old Warwickshire opener, who had already passed 1,000 runs in the County Championship prior to this match, carried his bat with a chanceless knock of 215 not out as the visitors turned this contest around.

Responding to the home side’s first innings score of 498, the Bears replied with 488 of their own and then put Notts under pressure in the final session.

Already condemned to relegation, Notts had high hopes of being able to force their first win of the campaign but they ended the day on 105 with half of their side back in the pavilion.

Joe Clarke remains of the recognised top order batsmen, unbeaten on 59.

Earlier, Sibley was at the crease for six and half hours and hit 30 boundaries from the 420 balls he faced. His unbeaten effort was the first time a Warwickshire opener had carried his bat against Notts since Michael Powell in 1998.

Steven Mullaney, the Notts’ captain, achieved figures of 4-48.

DIVISION TWO

Northampton: (third day of four): Northamptonshire 217 & 315 v Durham 131 & 212-8

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Northamptonshire were left on the cusp of promotion after another excellent day at Wantage Road where they were left needing two wickets for a thumping win over Durham. 

Ned Eckersley’s stubborn 54 not out in 117 balls allowed Durham to survive to the close of day three, albeit in a hopeless position at 212 for 8, requiring 402 to win.

He delayed Northants victory that could seal their return to Division One. If Glamorgan fail to beat Leicestershire, Northants will be promoted. If Glamorgan win, Northants will need a maximum of four points from their final match at Bristol next week.

Here, they enjoyed another excellent day, adding 90 runs on the third morning thanks to Luke Procter’s season’s best 86 not out. The target always appeared fanciful and a second superb bowling display by the home attack moved them towards an big victory.

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Old Trafford: (third day of four): Lancashire 259 & 289-8 v Middlesex 337

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Middlesex claimed five wickets in a rather dramatic evening session at Emirates Old Trafford as they sought to inflict a first Championship defeat on the soon-to-be crowned Division Two champions Lancashire.

Having spent the first two days of this match recovering from 34 for 6 to make 337 in reply to the home side’s 259, Dawid Malan’s bowlers had restricted the home side to 289 for 8 when bad light ended play 11 overs early.

That gives Lancashire a lead of only 211 and it all but completed a second fine fightback by Middlesex after a day the first two sessions of which had been dominated by the batsmen.

Miguel Cummins ended the day with figures of 4-50 but Ethan Bamber took two vital wickets with the new ball while Lancashire’s best contribution was made by Keaton Jennings, who was dismissed for 97 for the second time this season when he chopped a ball from Nathan Sowter onto his leg stump.

Jennings’ dismissal ended his 127-run stand with Livingstone and was the first of five Lancashire wickets to fall in 13 overs as the home side declined from 253 for 3 to 282 for 8.

Sophia Gardens: (third day of four): Glamorgan 435 & 251-5d v Leicestershire 263 & 32-2

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Although Glamorgan’s hopes of gaining promotion to Division One have diminished following Gloucestershire’s victory in three days and Northants’ dominant position against Durham, the Welsh county should win their fourth Championship game of the season on the final day.

Leicestershire will resume on 32 for 2, needing a further 392 to win, with Hassan Azad on 15 not out and the former Glamorgan batsman Mark Cosgrove on 3.

Reports courtesy of the ECB Reporters Network