Summary

  • Day four of six Championship matches

  • Title-chasing Somerset pushing for home win over Essex

  • Leicestershire beat Glamorgan by 42 runs

  • Hampshire in tight run chase with Yorkshire

  • Promotion-chasing Kent see off Middlesex by 46 runs

  • Northants one wicket away from huge win at Lancashire

  • Worcs given fourth-innings target of 279 by Glos

  • Choose a radio commentary using the 'Watch and Listen' tab

  • Wins on Saturday for Notts, Warwicks and Durham

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Live Reporting

Adam Lanigan, Gideon Brooks, Clive Eakin & Paul Grunill

  1. new ball

    New ball

    Hants 200-7 v Yorks - target 278

    Yorks have no hesitation in taking the second new ball with George Hill entrusted with getting the breakthrough. Finlay Bean is standing up to the stumps to make things more difficult for Andrew Neal.

  2. Foxes take a big leap to safety

    Leicestershire (151 & 257) beat Glamorgan (152 & 214) by 42 runs

    Adam Whitty
    BBC Radio Leicester commentator

    Ian Holland walking offRex Features

    Ian Holland took five wickets in Leicestershire's tense victory

    Excuse the terrible medical analogy.

    After four straight defeats in the County Championship - the Foxes' chances of staying in Division One were on life support, and the prognosis wasn't good.

    The heart monitor started to beep after the win against Yorkshire two months ago, and now perhaps we are seeing a twitching of the fingers after a tense and emotional 42-run win against Glamorgan.

    It was won, fundamentally, by two players' individual performances. Sheridon Gumbs' 93 personified dogged determination. The Foxes might have found themself a throwback opener able to dig in and work hard.

    Ian Holland's metronomic bowling also took them to victory. His 5-19 off 24 overs included 12 maidens. It was a remarkable display of accurate and consistent pace bowling.

    Issues remain. The Foxes need more from their pace attack to back Holland up - without Ben Green next week against Yorkshire too, someone needs to step up.

    We may not have heard the end of this game though. Glamorgan are not happy about the pitch, calling it unsafe. I can tell you after some pretty terse exchanges with the Leicestershire head coach Alfonso Thomas, they are really not happy about the fact Glamorgan are not happy.

    The Foxes though, at the time of writing, are off bottom, and have hopes of staying up.

    The chant as the players walked off, with Leicestershire in the One Day Cup Final next month, was: "Win the cup, we're staying up"

  3. Worcs begin chase

    Glos v Worcs 0-0 - target 279

    Dan Lategan and Jake Libby to begin Worcestershire's second innings.

    Left-arm spinner Sai Kishore has the new ball in hand.

    And he should have a wicket first ball but Lategan is dropped!

    It's straight to Tommy Boorman at short leg, but it's fast and the ball is in and out of the hands.

  4. Somerset v Essex 400-9 - lead by 89

    Jake Ball has to leave field four balls into his latest over - presumably with some sort of injury.

    Jack Leach is summoned to complete it - a handy replacement!

    Sam Cook, though, ends the over by pushing Leach away past mid-on for a couple of runs which take the Essex total up to 400.

  5. wicket

    WICKET

    Ali c Zaib b Guthrie 3 (Lancs 108-9 v Northants - Target 446)

    Another poor dismissal for Lancs as Noman Ali takes a wild hook at a short ball from Liam Guthrie and lobs up an edge to Saif Zaib at leg slip.

    Just one wicket remains for Northants to wrap up victory and Mitch Stanley and Ben Walkden are in their sights.

  6. wicket

    WICKET

    Organ c Cliff b Chohan 15 (Hants 187-7 v Yorks - Target 278)

    Felix Organ tries to tuck this away to the legside but turns the face of the bat a little too early and spoons a big leading edge to Ben Cliff at mid-on.

  7. GLOUCESTERSHIRE DECLARE

    Glos 395-7 dec v Worcs - lead by 278

    Sai Kishore sweeps Brett D'Oliveira for four and that is that.

    Cameron Bancroft calls the Gloucestershire batters in as they declare their second innings.

    The target for Worcestershire will be 279 off 60 overs. Oooh, it's like the good old days of the NatWest Trophy!

  8. Hants 187-6 Target 278

    Whatever the county championship equivalent of a football relegation six pointer is, this is one for Hants who need the win to boost their top flight survival hopes.

    Leics win at home to Glamorgan has ramped up the pressure particularly given defeat would hand Yorks another 16 points to pull away from the bottom.

    This pair Andrew Neal and Felix Organ have put on 34 since before lunch and they need another 91.

  9. KENT BEAT MIDDLESEX BY 46 RUNS
    Breaking

    Middlesex 249 & 309 v Kent 350 & 254

    Two wickets in successive balls by spinner Matt Parkinson give promotion-chasing Kent their fifth Championship win of the season.

    The end arrives as Parkinson bowls number 11 Noah Cornwell - an injury replacement in the game for Eathan Bosch - with an absolute beauty which turns in from the footmarks, leaving Joe Cracknell unbeaten on 65.

    Middlesex were 225-8 at one stage this morning but Cracknell and Tom Helm carried the total to 300 at lunch with the match in the balance.

    Kent, though, needed only 3.4 overs following the re-start to wrap things up and claim 22 points from the game, with Middlesex earning three.

  10. wicket

    WICKET

    Bracey b Swanepoel 127 (Glos 380-7 v Worcs - lead by 263)

    Gloucestershire had added 20 in the first two overs since lunch with James Bracey getting 13 of them, but no more.

    He tries a big swing off Beyers Swanepoel, misses and has his wickets disturbed.

  11. wicket

    WICKET

    Helm c Bell-Drummond b Parkinson 33 (Middx 309-9 v Kent - target 356)

    Another twist at Merchant Taylors' School.

    Tom Helm tries to drive Matt Parkinson but doesn't get over it and Daniel Bell-Drummond takes the catch.

    Noah Cornwell - a replacement in this game for Eathan Bosch - joins Joe Cracknell with Middlesex still 47 short of their target.

  12. wicket

    WICKET

    Harmer b Vaughan 24 (Somerset v Essex 396-9 - lead by 85)

    Two in two overs - he's done it again.

    Simon Harmer pushes forward to Archie Vaughan but the ball spins back sharply, flicks his glove and he is bowled.

    Is that the scent of victory mingling with the smell of cider at the County Ground?

  13. Young Moores in good company handling the ball

    Lunch: Lancashire 106-8 v Northants - target 446

    Graham Gooch ducking a Merv Hughes delivery in 1993 Ashes Test at Old TraffordShutterstock

    So we've had the rarity of a batter being given out 'obstructed the field' this morning in Lancashire's Joe Moores after catching the ball in the crease.

    One of the best-known incidents of a similar nature came during the Ashes Test at Old Trafford in 1993 when Graham Gooch knocked the ball away from his stumps with his hand while facing Merv Hughes.

    Umpire Dickie Bird was the man to send Goochie on his way.

    Moores is a 17-year-old making his way in a men's game. Gooch was England captain at the time and on 133!

    The picture used is from the 1993 match, but not the delivery in question.

  14. Somerset v Essex 396-8 - lead by 85

    Jake Ball continues the spell he began with two overs before lunch.

    Simon Harmer clips to mid-wicket and sets off for a risky single.

    If the throw had hit at the bowler's end, he would have been gone.

  15. wicket

    WICKET

    Snater b Vaughan 14 (Somerset v Essex 395-8 - lead by 84)

    Archie Vaughan will be feeling a lot better now.

    Shane Snater thrusts his front pad towards the ball but doesn't thrust it far enough and the ball spins in around it before hitting off-stump.

    Sam Cook comes out to bat at number 10.

  16. Essex 394-7 - lead by 83

    Plays resumes at Taunton with Archie Vaughan to bowl the first post-lunch over. He has 0-116 so far, figures he won't be especially proud of as fellow spinner Jack Leach has five wickets to his name.

  17. Middx 300-8 - target 356

    Matt Milnes is handed the ball to start the afternoon session for Kent.

    Which way is this one going to go? All results still possible, apart from a draw.

    Tom Helm is on strike on 31 not out. Joe Cracknell has 59 at the other end.

  18. Old Firm doing business for Somerset

    Lunch: Somerset v Essex 394-7 - lead by 83

    Anthony Gibson
    BBC Radio Somerset

    Somerset's old firm have done the business for them this morning, with Matt Critchley, Charlie Allison and Noah Thain all "caught Abell, bowled Leach".

    Allison and Critchley had taken their fourth wicket partnership to 212 when Leach found Critchley's outside edge.

    He was followed back to the pavilion six overs later by Charlie Allison, whose 114 was a model of concentration and skill, with Pepper and Thain following in short order.

    Jack Leach's figures this morning speak for themselves: 17-9-26-4. He has been quite superb.

  19. Lunchtime scorecards

    #bbccricket

    Division One

    • Utilita Bowl: Hampshire 197 & 179-6 v Yorkshire 173 & 301 - Hampshire need 99 to win
    • Leicester: Leicestershire 151 & 257 v Glamorgan 152 & 214 - Leicestershire win by 42 runs
    • Taunton: Somerset 469 v Essex 158 & 394-7 - Essex lead by 83

    Division Two

    • Cheltenham: Gloucestershire 150 & 360-6 v Worcestershire 267 - Gloucestershire lead by 243
    • Old Trafford: Lancashire 137 & 106-8 v Northamptonshire 284 & 121-1 - Lancashire need 340 to win
    • Northwood: Middlesex 249 & 300-8 v Kent 350 & 254 - Middlesex need 56 to win

  20. Get Involved

    #bbccricket

    Leicestershire players celebrate in the background as a Glamorgan batter leaves the fieldShuterstock

    Great result for Leicestershire.

    William Parkinson, Leicestershire