Image source, Rex Features

At the start of round eight of the County Championship, Surrey had an 18-point lead at the top of Division table and now it is down to just two.

Essex underlined why they may be Surrey's main rivals in the title race with an innings win over Kent but may be happy to have a month-long red-ball break now following Sam Cook's injury.

Rain spoiled a number of games but there was final-over drama at Northampton, where the home side managed to fend off everything Yorkshire could summon up to secure a draw with eight wickets down.

Thanks for your company over the past four days.

Division One

Kent 394 & 101 v Essex 591-7 dec

Essex won by an innings and 96 runs

Lancashire 149 & 89-4 v Warwickshire 284 & 96-3 dec

Match drawn

Worcestershire 80 v Nottinghamshire 234-3

Match drawn

Division Two

Gloucestershire 530 v Derbyshire 526 & 166-4 dec

Match drawn

Leicestershire 343-9 dec v Glamorgan 387 & 157-4

Match drawn

Middlesex 613-9 dec v Sussex 554-9 dec

Match drawn

Northamptonshire 301 & 250-8 v Yorkshire 362 & 264-6 dec

Match drawn

Little movement in Division Two thanks to another featherbed at Lord's and a bit of rain sadly meaning the top two sides did not get into either second innings.

Sussex are eight points clear at the top thanks to having more result-friendly pitches than Middlesex have played on at Lords so far.

Adam Lyth's off-spin (1-5 & 4-56) and 142 runs in the match were not enough as Yorkshire fell short of a first win of the season. with Ricardo Vasconcelos making an unbeaten 129 to keep Northants 'top' of the bottom four.

Derbyshire still languishing on just 70 points having come through another high-scoring draw at Bristol.

Matt Revis to bowl the final over. Is there time?

Ricardo Vasconcelos ducks under a short ball first up.

A slower ball down the leg side and Vasconcelos is again happy to duck underneath it.

Four left. Revis tries a yorker which is played straight back to the bowler.

Almost there. Another short ball. Another duck. Another dot.

Vasconcelos drives the fifth ball square and that's it.

With one ball to go and two wickets in hand, the skipper shake hands.

What a game! And what a knock from Ricardo Vasconcelos who is there at the finish with an unbeaten 129 from 183 balls.

Dom Leech yells in frustration as Siddarth Kaul gets over a short ball and drops it into the offside before jogging through for a single. Eventually.

Ricardo Vasconcelos blocks the second but then, horrors, he tickles a legside delivery which is inches away from a diving Jonny Tattersall's right-hand and runs away for four.

A single brings Siddarth Kaul on strike who wafts an airy drive at the penultimate ball and it whistles past the edge. Oof!

He then shoulders arms to the last and it sails harmlessly through.

Another bowling change for Yorkshire as Matt Revis returns in place of Jordan Thompson.

The first ball is short and Ricardo Vasconcelos sways out of the way easily enough.

The set batter then has plenty of time to drop the second ball into the offside. No run.

Revis' third swings harmlessly down leg through to Jonny Tattersall.

Another dot, then Vasconcelos backs away and then stretches to reach a ball wide of off-stump. He misses. No run.

Adam Lyth is there again in the field to prevent Vasconcelos stealing the strike and Siddarth Kaul will face.

12 balls to go.

Image source, Getty Images

Siddarth Kaul digs out a fine yorker from Dom Leech first up.

He then pulls away a short ball and scurries up the other end away from danger. We have four buzzers!

Ricardo Vasconcelos safely plays out the next two without alarm.

He top edges a short ball down the fine leg boundary for four. He then gives himself space and curses as he times it beautifully for four.

But it's a no-ball. And he cuts the extra ball for a single. Poor cricket there.

Three overs to go. Will there be one more twist?

Catchers back in the cordon as Jordan Thompson roars in.

He attempts a yorker and falls over in his follow-through and tumble down the wicket.

Ricardo Vasconcelos digs out another yorker and then fends off a slower ball.

Two balls to go. Can Yorkshire prevent the single?

Vasconcelos lifts the next through square leg to bring four more. Yorkshire won't mind that.

Thompson fires one down the leg side and Vasconcelos cannot connect.

Four overs to go and new man Siddarth Kaul will be on strike.

Ricardo Vasconcelos may regret giving Ben Sanderson two balls to survive but at least he's on strike for the next.

Four men on the boundary but no slips as Dom Leech runs in. Strange.

Leech goes short once again and Vasconcelos pulls it away but turns down the single.

He pulls the fourth ball square for four, but may have wanted a single to rotate the strike for the next over.

Good fielding from Adam Lyth denies the set batter a single, but he pumps the final ball through the offside and is able to get the single he wanted.

Luckily for him it stops short of the rope.

Five to survive.

Jordan Thompson has made it happen again and now there will be some nerves.

Another bowling change as Dom Leech bowls his first over of the second innings, replacing Adam Lyth.

He bangs the first one in which Ben Sanderson is up on his toes to fend off. He allows the second to glance off his back.

Sanderson looks less than comfortable as Leech sends in another short ball.

The short stuff continues as he punches the ball down from under his nose.

Leech sends the next into the batter's pads and there's an appeal, but it's too high before Sanderson deals slightly more comfortably with the final short(ish) ball. Maiden.

Another bowling change as Jordan Thompson replaces Vishwa Fernando after his two-over burst.

Ricardo Vasconcelos plays the first ball into the offside and has all the time in the world for a single. He, understandably, turns it down.

Thompson sends down a decent bumper which the batter ducks under and then tries a slower ball which is also left alone.

Ricardo cuts square of the wicket. He wants a single to keep the strike, but it trickles over the rope.

The only unwanted four of the day. Eight overs to go.

Ben Sanderson faces Adam Lyth who is one wicket away from a five-for.

He has five men around the bat, but looks untroubled as he plays safely off the back foot.

Five dots then a super drive through the offside for four. Gorgeous.

Nine overs to go.

Adam Lyth goes on a lap of honour, he's picked up his fourth wicket.

Yorkshire have certainly got a chance of winning it but can they finish the job?

I don't think that handshake will happen just yet.

Vishwa Fernando roars in to century-maker Ricardo Vasconcelos.

He's targetting the front pad of the opener. If he goes, Northants are in deep, deep trouble.

He plays out three dots before the Sri Lankan tries a short ball which is easily left down leg.

He pitches up the next which Ricardo Vasconcelos defends and then turns the final ball safely. Maiden.

Ten overs to go. Three wickets needed

As we reach the climax of the final game in this round of Championship action, here's how the next round of fixtures looks (but you'll have to wait for a bit):

Division One

Chelmsford: Essex v Durham

Canterbury: Kent v Lancashire

Trent Bridge: Nottinghamshire v Somerset

Edgbaston: Warwickshire v Hampshire

Worcester: Worcestershire v Surrey

Division Two

Cardiff: Glamorgan v Northamptonshire

Lord's: Middlesex v Derbyshire

Hove: Sussex v Leicestershire

Scarborough: Yorkshire v Gloucestershire

New man Ben Sanderson has plenty of close-in fielders for company and survives a BIG lbw shout first ball as he's beaten pushing forward and hits his back leg.

Eleven overs to survive.

Following their win at Canterbury earlier today, Essex have reclaimed second spot and are just two points behind leaders Surrey with seven matches played.

Third-placed Somerset, who lost in two days to Durham, have 99 points, 14 fewer than Essex, but 14 more than Hampshire, who beat Surrey by a huge margin on Sunday.

Kent are on the bottom with 61 points, three fewer than Lancashire and nine adrift of Worcestershire.