Cricket can be a cruel game. Lancashire are relegated despite playing well. Nottinghamshire stay up despite being outplayed by Somerset, for whom Tom Abell took a hat-trick.

Meanwhile, Essex continue to dominate champions Surrey at The Oval after centuries by Tom Westley and Simon Harmer and Gary Ballance's unbeaten 189 carries Yorkshire into a first-innings lead against Worcestershire.

Only eight games are left in the summer's final round of Championship matches after Northamptonshire's six-wicket win over Sussex in Division Two.

Join us again tomorrow from about 10.00 BST for the third day's play.

Division One

Hampshire 187 & 178-8 v Lancashire 273

Hampshire lead by 92 with two wickets left

Somerset 463 v Nottinghamshire 133 & 115-3 (f/o)

Notts trail by 215 runs with seven wickets left

Surrey 67 & 88-1 v Essex 477-8 dec

Surrey trail by 322 with nine wickets left

Worcestershire 340 v Yorkshire 417-9

Yorkshire lead by 77 with one wicket left

Division Two

Derbyshire 184 & 157 v Gloucestershire 163 & 29-2

Gloucestershire need another 150 to win

Middlesex 121 & 255-2 v Durham 310

Middlesex lead by 66 with eight wickets left

Glamorgan 359 & 106-4 v Leicestershire 132

Glamorgan lead by 333 with six wickets left

Sussex 118 & 222 v Northamptonshire 171 & 172-4

Northamptonshire beat Sussex by six wickets

Kent 167 & 38-1 v Warwickshire 380

Kent trail by 175 runs with nine wickets left

Chris Cooke (41) and Jeremy Lawlor (21) share an unbroken stand of 67 to stumps after Glamorgan had been reduced to 39-4 at the start of their second innings.

They lead by 333, having bowled out Leicestershire in just 48.3 overs earlier in the day.

Harry Dearden's 48 was the only score of note for the visitors as the wickets were shared among five Glamorgan bowlers, with Graeme Wagg returning the best figures of 3-25.

Adam Rossington hits a boundary off spinner Danny Briggs and Northants end their season with a two-day victory over Sussex.

Rossington made 51 from 57 balls and shared an unbroken stand of 90 in 16 overs with Ben Curran, who finished unbeaten on 83.

It was Northamptonshire's fourth victory of 2018 - and although Sussex suffered their fourth defeat, they will still finish third in Division Two.

Northants take 19 points and Sussex three.

Gloucestershire need another 150 on the third day at Derby to end the season with a win.

Lockie Ferguson dismissed Chris Dent and James Bracey cheaply, but Miles Hammond and Nightwatchman George Drissell saw it through to stumps, with the visitors on 29-2.

Craig Miles earlier took 3-46 in Derbyshire's second innings for match figures of 8-96 in his final appearance ahead of his winter move to Warwickshire.

Martin Emmerson
BBC Newcastle

Middlesex fought back on day two in Chester-le-Street, having bowled Durham out for 310.

It was the first time Durham made 300+ batting at home this season, in large part thanks to 112 from Gareth Harte, his second century of the season.

Paul Collingwood, playing in his final match before retirement, had a hand in the two Middlesex wickets to fall, but there was quite a gap between them.

When he bowled Sam Robson for 36, that brought Stevie Eskinazi to the crease and he put on 159 for the second wicket with Nick Gubbins to take Middlesex into the lead.

Eskinazi was eventually caught by Collingwood at mid-wicket off the bowling of Matt Salisbury for 96 - the third time he has been out out in the 90s this season, but Middlesex lead by 66 at the close.

Lewis McManus (30) and Kyle Abbott (21) play out the final seven and a bit over to keep Hampshire alive in the game after two days in which they have been outplayed by Lancashire.

The Red Rose county's failure to take a third batting point condemned them to relegation, but they are determined to finish the summer with a win - and only trail by 92.

Recent signing Richard Gleeson has 3-45 so far in Hampshire's second innings.

Mark Stoneman plays and misses at a ball from Matt Quinn in the day's final over at The Oval but survives to end the day on 41 not out, with partner Jason Roy on 23.

Essex lead by 322 following centuries earlier in the day by Tom Westley and Simon Harmer - and the latter may be a danger to the champions' hopes of saving the game as he is finding plenty of turn.

A good final session for Surrey, but the first five of the match were all won by Essex.

A crazy turnaround at New Road as Yorkshire close with a 77-run lead against Worcestershire following a 171-run ninth-wicket stand in just 27 overs between Gary Ballance and Jack Brooks.

Somerset-bound Brooks went in the penultimate over for 82, the second highest score of his career, while Ballance ended the day on 189 not out.

The Pears were not helped by the absence after tea of main strike bowler Josh Tongue with a foot injury, when he had taken 3-31 in 14 overs.

After surrendering a 213-run lead on first innings, Kent are still way behind in the Division Two title decider at Edgbaston.

Openers Sean Dickson and Zak Crawley made a sound start.

But how crucial will Dickson's departure be just before the close?

Olly Stone's breakthrough means that Kent end the day still needing another 175 to make the Bears bat again.

Somerset end a dominant second-day performance at Trent Bridge with the wicket of Luke Fletcher, who edges a bouncer from Jamie Overton to the keeper and is caught for a duck.

Ben Slater survives on 45 not out, but Nottinghamshire are 215 behind after being forced to follow-on with seven wickets standing.

They can, though, at least take comfort from the fact that they have done just enough in this game so far to maintain Division One status for 2019.

Northamptonshire are making hard work of scoring 170 to beat Sussex. They are 117-4, but Ben Curran is still there on 66 not out.

Stevie Eskinazi has missed out on a century for Middlesex against Durham, having been caught by Paul Collingwood off Matt Salisbury for 96. The visitors are 219-2, a lead of 30 runs.

Gloucestershire are 19-2 at Derby, with Lockie Ferguson bowling James Bracey for two. They need another 160 for victory.

Chris Cooke has raced to 32 off 34 balls for Glamorgan, who are 75-4 and 302 ahead against Leicestershire in Cardiff.

Yorkshire's ninth-wicket pair Gary Ballance and Jack Brooks continue their destruction at New Road.

Their stand is now up to 171. And the lead is up to 63.

Kent's openers are looking a lot happier second time around at Edgbaston so, after nine overs of pace, Warwickshire have turned to spin.

Bears captain Jeetan Patel has brought himself on. He starts with a maiden. Five overs left in the day.

The batsmen certainly haven't done themselves proud in this game at Derby.

The home side were bowled out in 60.3 overs, leaving Gloucestershire to score 179 to win, but they have lost Chris Dent to the first ball of their run-chase, caught behind off New Zealand's Lockie Ferguson.