Martin Emmerson
BBC Radio Newcastle

David Bedingham has gone and Durham are absolutely throwing this away.

They're are going to lose this and they've had such a gift from Surrey.

Still three slips in for Chris Wright and Stuart van der Merwe is forward to defend on the front foot.

He needs 10 more to become only the third Northants player and the first since David Sales in 1996 to score a century on first class debut.

He gets a single second ball to move to 91.

George Bartlett leaves on width outside off stump.

He gets a single scooped to deep backward square to end the over.

Ian Holland to continue from the other end.

We're down to two slips. Stuart van der Merwe turns the ball leg side and that's a tight single, just beating the return throw from Liam Trevaskis at mid wicket.

George Bartlett forces a ball through cover off the back foot for four and that's the century partnership with Van der Merwe in 160 balls.

A drop in the on side for a tight single next ball.

VDM drives to mid off and another tight single, just ahead of the return throw from Logan van Beek. He now has 90 not out.

Jonathan Doidge
BBC Radio Leeds cricket commentator

Jordan Thompson has got a wicket on his final day.

A ball that tailed in to the left-handed Ben McKinney who offered no bat against that delivery.

Image source, Getty Images

Hampshire captain Ben Brown has hit out once again at the “unjust” points deduction in May which effectively derailed their season and could yet result in their relegation.

Brown will have to wait on the result of today’s Yorkshire Durham match at Headingley to see if Hampshire drop to the second tier for the first time since 2011.

A Yorkshire win can save them but a draw will not.

But in the aftermath of losing by 20 runs to Surrey, Brown pointed to the eight points deduction they received for a substandard pitch at home to Sussex in May – a match Hampshire actually lost by nine wickets.

Should Durham draw today they finish with 152 points, one point fewer than the 153 Hants would have had without the deduction.

“It has been a really challenging year, off the field as well as on it. There has been a lot to manage,” said a dejected Brown. “Then there is the point deduction on the wicket which I stand by that it was unjust.

“That I feel difficult to cope with as a player. People work hard in professional sport and to have essentially clipboard stuff to take eight points off us. You want sport to be decided as sport not someone deciding whether grass is right or wrong.”

Hampshire have suffered a miserable end to the season losing the T20 Blast Final to Somerset and MetroBank One Day Cup Final to Worcestershire.

“We have been playing under pressure for the last month with no time to think or train, and it has ended up with us losing two finals and looks like we will be going down,” said Brown.

“Everyone will need time to get their head around it before making a plan to make things better.”

221 runs for an unlikely Northants win from here and a slightly more likely couple of sessions of play to survive for a draw.

A big play and miss on the back foot outside off stump for George Bartlett, wafting at a shorter ball from Chris Wright.

Shot! Neatly clipped to deep mid wicket for four.

The seventh wicket partnership is now worth 98. 214 to win.

Bit of lift and turn out of the footholes outside off stump for Dom Bess causes David Bedingham a moment of concern but the Durham man survives.

The deficit is still 74 runs though and pressure is most definitely still on.

Surrey added India spinner Rahul Chahar to their squad for the last game of the season. Chahar, 26, was registered to Surrey earlier this month but had not made an appearance for the club before this round. He took a total of 10 wickets in the match.

A crisp drive by Stuart van der Merwe off Ian Holland but the ball is smartly stopped at mid off.

Holland goes round the wicket and VDM drives through extra cover for four runs to reach 84 not out.

Chris Wright bowls to Stuart van der Merwe on 79...

Forward, edged and bouncing just inches in front of Rishi Patel at first slip.

Wright gets a later delivery to jag in and bounce over middle and off.

Van der Merwe pushes forward and gets one to mid off.

Now that Hampshire have fallen short at the Utilita Bowl against Surrey by 20 runs, they need a result to go their way at Leeds.

It was always a tall order as they were already nine down on 148, chasing another 33 to win - and nerves were shredded yet further by an early finish on Day Three due to bad light.

If Durham beat Yorkshire, or even draw - Hampshire will be down to Division Two with Worcestershire.

Hampshire captain Ben Brown told BBC Sport:

"It’s been a bit of a slow death really with the bad light yesterday and obviously that Yorkshire game going on."

On the run chase against Surrey:

“I think a lot of the disappointment was last night in truth. It’s a really small chance. It’s a pretty tough situation.

“There’s always hope, but in context probably quite a lot of runs more than it looks and it was always a tall order today.”

Jonathan Doidge
BBC Radio Leeds cricket commentator

Durham have got two top order batters here and if they play sensibly they can be in the lead before tea and that's more or less job done.

Martin Emmerson
BBC Radio Newcastle

I think I am the only one in the press centre at Headingley who believes Durham can still lose this one.

Alex Lees has just been caught behind off Dom Bess for 18 and Durham are now 29-2 and still trail Yorkshire by 100.

They can't just occupy time in the middle. They need to be scoring runs too and wiping out that deficit. This is not a foregone conclusion by any means.

Hampshire are not down yet!

Kevin Howells
BBC Test Match Special commentator

The Durham captain is out, it's a wicket to Dom Bess and I am starting to wonder whether we might have a pressurised afternoon of jeopardy.

We know that Hampshire are watching and listening along following their defeat to Surrey this morning.

It's been a real fascinating day in so many ways.

New ball taken at Wantage Roadpublished at 13:20 BST 27 September

13:20 BST 27 September

Northants 258-6 (target 501 to beat Leics)

A bright start for Northants, in spite of the daunting target.

George Bartlett sweeps Rishi Patel behind square for four and there are two fours in the over for Stuart van der Merwe, clipping to square leg and pulling over mid wicket.

The score passes 250 in the over.

A maiden over from Liam Trevaskis follows and that's 80 bowled.

The new ball is taken straight away and Leicestershire captain Ian Holland will bowl to George Bartlett.

Jonathan Doidge
BBC Radio Leeds cricket commentator

There's still a few nerves around among colleagues and Durham supporters by the looks of some of the correspondence.