Derbyshire are on the attack with their filed placings and this has if anything emboldened the Middlesex batting.

Single to Max Holden to the off side off Alex Thomson and Stephen Eskinazi blocks down the ground.

Blair Tickner has a sprightly run up to the crease with a high arm and high knees as he tests Stephen Eskinazi with a bouncer.

Short again and Eskinazi looks to leave but top edges via an angles bat over the keeper for four.

Four more glanced to fine leg.

Kevin Hand
BBC Radio London commentator

The spinners are the key. This ball is only 22 overs old.

Outwardly Middlesex will feel confident they can bat out the day, given the number of wickets that have fallen over the past three days. Inwardly they might be wondering if falling only eight runs short of the follow-on could come back to bite them...

There's a fair way to go on this final day.

Max Holden is back and across to Alex Thomson, cutting the spinner to point for a single.

Single to Stephen Eskinazi pushing to cover.

Holden is in a tangle defending on the back foot to see out the over.

He's squared up and beaten past the outside edge but survives.

Blair Tickner will bowl a bit of right arm seam at the Racecourse End.

He's got a bit of pace on him, this young man.

But his third ball is full, wide of leg and speeds away to fine leg for four as Stephen Eskinazi works the ball away.

But Eskinazi plays down the wrong line of the next ball and outside edges it low between the two slips for four.

Four more glanced to square leg. Rapid start.

Kevin Hand
BBC Radio London commentator

Around about tea Middlesex might start to feel somewhere near safe.

It might even be later, mid-way through the last session. They will need a lead of about 200 maybe to feel safe in the evening session.

You see teams thumping 120 or 150 very quickly these days. They won't want to give Derbyshire any opportunity.

Tidy line and length first up from Alex Thomson, who gets good flight and dip on the ball.

Stephen Eskinazi gets a run second ball, turning to leg.

Thomson goes round the wicket to the left-handed Max Holden with a slip and a short leg in play.

A bit of a thick edge first up from Holden, who pushes into point for no run.

Dave Fletcher
BBC Radio Derby Sport

It's a glorious day, it has sort of clouded over a little bit, but there's no threat of rain - there's no threat of rain anywhere in the country across the next week and a half it seems...

Welcome to Der-bados!

It would be fair to surmise that Middlesex need to bat out at least two sessions of play to make the game safe.

97 in arrears at present.

Stephen Eskinazi (23*) and Max Holden (35*) are back in the middle.

We might see a lot of overs from left-armer Jack Morley and off spinner Alex Thomson today on this dry surface.

And indeed Thomson will bowl the first ball of the day to Eskinazi.

Image source, Rex Features

The host team will go into the final day full of confidence after Zak Chappell (4-55) was the mainstay in keeping Middlesex just below the follow-on target, by eight runs.

But wickets have been harder to come by since the dismissal of Nathan Fernandes to the first ball of the Middlesex second innings.

There's still plenty of pressure on Middlesex however, who remain 97 adrift with key batter Leus du Plooy restricted by a foot injury that required the aid of a runner in the first innings.

If Derbyshire do run through Middlesex for less than 97, it will be only their third innings win against this opposition in their history and their first here at the County Ground.

Their two innings wins came at Ilkeston and Chesterfield.

The most recent one was way back in 1977 in the game played at Ilkeston, where Derbyshire triumphed by an innings and 177 runs.

Middlesex had the experienced Clive Radley and a youthful Mike Gatting, Phil Edmonds and John Emburey among their ranks at the time.

Middlesex were routed for 54 first time round and dismissed for 138 in the second innings in a match where only four players passed 50.

The top scorer in the game was Colin Tunnicliffe, principally in the side for his left-arm fast-medium bowling.

He scored 82 not out batting at number 10, adding 31 runs with last batter Mike Hendrick and also managed match figures of 5-45 off 25 overs.

But Derbyshire would certainly settle for a win of any description, which would be their second of the season, to close the gap on Division Two leaders, Leicestershire.

Image source, Rex Features

We didn't lose a single over to the weather or light across the past three days across all five of our games, and we won't today either...

Ok, it's not the summer of 1976, but it feels like a slip, slap, slop day at Derby today with temperatures into the low to mid 20s and plenty of sunshine until a few wisps of cloud bubble up late in the afternoon.

You can check the forecast from our colleagues at BBC Weather here.

Derbyshire 472 - Andersson 107, Lloyd 93, Reece 60 v Middlesex 315 - Geddes 59, Davies 54, du Plooy 52, Chappell 4-55 & 60-1 f/o - Holden 35*

Middlesex trail by 97 runs f/o

Division One

Surrey 367 - Burns 76, Lawrence 55* & 36-2 v Somerset 283 & 119 - Pretorius 54, Worrall 3-16 - Surrey win by 8 wickets

Notts 300 & 148-1 Hameed 62*, Duckett 59* v Sussex 169 & 278 - Haines 64, Simpson 74, Ahmed 4-54 - Notts win by 9 wickets

Worcestershire 162 & 81 - Raine 4-20, Codi Yusuf 4-26 v Durham 136 & 108-4 - Durham win by six wickets

Division Two

Gloucestershire 252 & 152 - Price 43, Holland 4-32 v Leicestershire 262 & 146-8 - Cox 47, Goodman 4-33 - Leicestershire win by 2 wickets

Image source, Rex Features

Good morning, and welcome to the final day of the fourth round of the 2025 County Championship.

We've seen a thrilling weekend of action with wickets tumbling and modest targets chased down, some in rapid fashion, another with nerve-shredding tension.

We have one match in the final round going into the final day, but it's shaping up to be a goodun.

Derbyshire have enforced the follow-on against Middlesex at sun-drenched Derb-ados and will be seeking to add to the one wicket to fall in the second innings so far, with the visitors still 97 in arrears.

We'll also bring you all the reaction to the weekend's other games, so grab some elevenses, pop the commentary on and let us be your eyes...