New ball is takenpublished at 13:36 British Summer Time 29 September 2024

13:36 BST 29 September 2024

Notts 487 v Warwickshire 280-5

Notts skipper Haseeb Hameed opts not to take the new ball and sticks with the spin of Freddie McCann.

He perhaps wishes he hadn't.

Michael Burgess helps the first ball for four then heaves his first six.

The fifth ball is then dispatched backward of square leg for another boundary.

Farhan Ahmed's 25th over costs a relatively miserly four and Hameed calls for the new ball.

Wharton closes in on 300published at 13:35 British Summer Time 29 September 2024

13:35 BST 29 September 2024

Yorks 586-3 v Northants 147

Yorkshire are perhaps raising an eyebrow or two among the faithful by batting on but there's plenty of entertainment.

James Wharton is back and across to Saif Zaib, smashing the left-arm spinner over mid wicket for six and he gets six more next ball, driving over long on.

He's on 285.

Simpson celebratespublished at 13:32 British Summer Time 29 September 2024

13:32 BST 29 September 2024

Sussex 262-4 v Middlesex 271

Image source, Rex Features

Celebrations for Sussex and for John Simpson, who drives Ethan Bamber through cover point for four runs and gets a six, going back and across to pull the bowler over deep square leg.

Adam Hose looks to punch through the covers, but it ricochets off the inner half of the bat through the leg side. A single moves him to 25.

Matthew Waite picks up a single from a quiet Will Williams over.

Waite then leans into a fullish ball from Anderson Phillip and sends it through extra cover. The next ball is thwacked over mid-off for back-to-back boundaries.

He almost falls next ball, but then hooks backward of square and just clears the rope for a first six of the innings.

Four leg byes from the fifth and Waite then goes expansive to the final ball, getting a top edge from an attempted pull for four more. 24 from the over. and Waite is up to 29 from 18 balls.

The middle order batter plundered four sixes in his first innings 60 and is ticking again.

Joe Denly slams Bas de Leede to the cover boundary and that stroke ensures Kent cannot be asked to follow on by their hosts, effectively ensuring they will finish the season with a draw.

Would have been interesting to see how things might have unfolded had the first two days not been lost to the weather...

Now it's all about going big for Denly, who has 58 and Jack Leaning, on 83.

Now that the Division Two title has all but been decided down in Hove, Yorkshire's team need to decide if they want to go for a sixth win of the season or chase more batting records.

As it stands, James Wharton will face the first ball on 268 not out, to be bowled by Saif Zaib.

Jonny Bairstow has the small matter of 65 off 69 balls at the other end.

It's a bit gloomy out here and the floodlights are on.

Adrian Harms
BBC Sussex

"Never has a no-ball received so much applause.

"Sussex are champions of Division Two of the County Championship in bizarre fashion."

Over to Adrian Harms for the magic moment...

Image source, Rex Features

John Simpson plays Luke Hollman into the covers. No run.

The second ball is a full toss and pulled through leg for four!

One more for the title!

Simpson tries to tuck the ball through backward square but there's no single there.

What? A no-ball from Luke Hollman decides the Division Two trophy.

Well, this isn't how we might have envisaged it.

Congratulations, Sussex.

Martin Emmerson
BBC Radio Newcastle

There's been little to talk about on the final day of this curtailed match in Chester-le-Street.

The only wicket to fall was that of night watchman Jas Singh, in the second over of the day. He was caught behind off Bas De Leede for one.

But since then Jack Leaning and Joe Denly have put together a solid and methodical partnership of 100 in 184 balls. Leaning has 78 and Denly 51, although he was dropped at long leg by Callum Parkinson, off teenager James Minto, when on 45.

As things stand we could see the sides shaking hands on a draw at 16:10 BST. But in order for that to happen Kent would still need to be behind. Which would make for a very dull afternoon.

They could shake at 16:20 with Durham batting and ahead. Or at 16:30 when the final hour of the season gets under way.

Shane Snater is handed the ball for the first time today and the opening delivery of the afternoon session prompts a nibble outside off stump from Dan Lawrence.

Lawrence would presumably love to post a sizeable score, on his return to the familiar Chelmsford turf, and he drives another ball back at Snater, catching the bowler with a blow on the hand as he picks up a couple of runs.

Just a short delay for bad light here.

Four overs lost.

Adam Hose plays out a maiden comfortably enough to Anderson Phillip after the break.

Lovely shot! Matthew Waite is off the mark second ball as he cuts Will Williams away for four.

He drives the final ball of the over for four more with some nice timing.

Good start for Sussex! The first ball is steered to deep third by James Coles for four runs. Seven more needed.

Coles defends down the ground and then flicks the next ball through mid wicket for a couple. Five more required.

The final ball of the over is blocked down the ground.

Leg spinner Luke Hollman will bowl next.

Sam Hain turns a single into the legside to get the scoreboard ticking after lunch.

Ed Barnard then skips down the wicket and steers Farhan Ahmed to mid-on for the single to seal the first batting point.

It means, barring a spectacular Notts win, that they will finish above their hosts in the Division One table this season.

The Division Two trophy could potentially be secured in two or three strokes here!

11 runs needed.

That batting point will put Sussex out of reach in first place.

James Coles will have first dibs so to speak, facing Ethan Bamber from the Sea End unbeaten on eight.

His batting partner and captain John Simpson has two not out.

It's been gloomy here for a while and the floodlights were on as early as the first hour of play today.

As you were on this one.