Essex captain Ryan ten Doeschate insists that all his side have done is give themselves a chance in this seaosn's title race by winning five times in six matches.

“We are stringing results together nicely," he said, after the innings win over bottom club Nottinghamshire, to stay in touch with leaders Somerset, who are 15 points ahead. "It’s never easy to get a win away from home and that was a very flat wicket.

Image source, Rex Features

"But it is important not to look too far ahead. To have a chance to win the Championship you have to have to go on a run of exceptional form and Somerset have done that in the early part of the season.

"For anyone to challenge them you have to string a number of wins together, But that is five wins out of the last six for us now after a slow start.So, we’re giving ourselves a chance but there’s a long way to go yet.”

But the way things are going, it is starting to look as if this year's title race could all come down to the final game of the season in late September when the two sides play each other at Taunton.

Jordan Clark misses out on a 50 - 50 balls without scoring, that is - as he collects a single off Dunne Olivier from his 50th faced.

Yorkshire are starting to run out of time now with 13 overs of play remaining.

Who can break Clark's partnership with Jamie Smith, which has so far added 16 runs in 15 and a half overs.

Glamorgan tried to tempt Worcestershire into a run-chase by declaring at lunchtime but it never really materialised as Callum Ferguson (70*) and Daryl Mitchell (64*) batted out time in an unbroken stand of 135.

The Welsh club must now wait to see whether Lancashire can force a victory over Durham at Sedbergh before finding out whether they will stay top of Division Two.

They remain unbeaten, though, and it was a match to remember for Marnus Labuschagne, who made 106 and 100 and passed 1,000 Championship runs for the season.

Glamorgan takes 13 points to Worcestershire's 10 - and there is good news about their captain below.

When you consider that Jordan Clark a player who likes to give the ball a good old thump, this is quite a piece of self-denial on his part at Scarborough.

The former Lancashire all-rounder has so far faced 37 balls without scoring a run as Surrey try to hang on for a draw.

There are 16 overs to go.

Graham Onions come back into the attack with 20 overs left at Sedbergh School.

Four wickets needed. Especially the prize one of Cameron Bancroft, who is on 72.

But Bancrofts men have batted well around him- and the latest to offer dogged Durham resistance is Ben Raine, who is now into double figures.

All over at Derby as the home side declare with Leus du Plooy adding an unbeaten 69 to his 118 in the first innings.

He also took two wickets in Middlesex's innings, so it's been an excellent all-round game for him, but very little to enjoy for the other bowlers involved.

England's Dawid Malan fell fior 199 duringthe morning and John Simpson made 118, the pair putting on 224 for Middlesex's seventh wicket.

Derbyshire take 12 points and are away to Worcestershire next week, while Middlesex, who earn nine, take on Glamorgan at Northwood.

The first boundary at Scaborough for what seems like ages as Jamie Smith puts away a low full toss by Keshav Maharaj. The Surrey youngster is 13 not out and Jordan Clark has yet to score. Their are 19 overs left in the game.

All over at Canterbury. The players shake hands on the draw.

For both sides, it was only a second draw in eight matches this season. And Kent shade it 10-9 on points.

Although they failed to pick up a single bowling point, they did at least get maximum batting points.

Kent stand fifth in the table, 40 points clear now of bottom club Nottinghamshire, who could be even further adrift next week once they have visited leaders Somerset at Taunton.

Image source, Rex Features

The Bears are now 23 points clear of Notts, who they must play again in the penultimate week of the season at Trent Bridge.

Warwickshire now move on to Southampton on their five-game tour of England.

They start their fourth successive away match next week against Hampshire before facing Essex at Chelmsford the following week.

Kent play again on Sunday when they visit The Oval, to face 2018 county champions Surrey.

50 partnership for Bearspublished at 16:47 British Summer Time 3 July 2019

16:47 BST 3 July 2019

Kent 585-7 dec, Warwickshire 566-7

Ben Mike (45) and Jeetan Patel (25) share a moment together.

It nearly didn't happen at all as, with so little time left to go in the match, umpires Nick Cook and Ben Debenham had just spent several minutes discussing the shape of the ball.

But they are at least playing again right up until the 16:50 cut-off.

Scrub what we said about Keshav Maharaj going off (see 16:41 entry) - he has merely switched ends.

Again, just a single to Jamie Smith from that one.

Surrey have 21 more to survive for the draw.

After a lengthy spell by spinner Keshav Maharaj, Yorkshire decide it's time to call up their fastest bowler, Duanne Olivier, and see whether he can knock over the Surrey tail.

There is a single from the opening over of his new spell for Jamie Smith, but that is all, and as he has only sent down five in the innings so far, the South African should be pretty fresh.

Double success for Middlesex as Nathan Sowter has Harvey Hosein lbw for 61 and Matt Critchley follows for a duck in similar fashion in the next over, bowled by Dawid Malan.

Hosein put on 121 with Leus du Plooy, who is still there on 58, with Derbyshire 161-6 and 198 ahead.

Kent have now turned to a ninth member of their bowling attack at Canterbury.

Sean Dickson, who has just two first-class wickets to his name, is on, following nine tidy overs post-tea from Zak Crawley.

214 overs bowled now in this innings.

Two centurions - Harry Podmore and Grant Stewart, who has taken two of the 14 wickets to fall in the match.

Most overworked has been Ollie Rayner, whose 43 overs have gone for just 74.

But 43-year-old Darren Stevens is the most economical. 33-15-52-1.

And Ben Mike, on 40, has just posted his highest first-class score. The Leicestershire loan man's previous best, last season, was against the Bears, for the Foxes.

With three promotion places available in Division Two and no relegation worries, we would have expected Worcestershire to have a right go at this target.

The runs have dried up, though, of late in Cardiff and they now need another 191 off 24 overs - that's almost eight an over.

Callum Ferguson is 67 not out after a maiden from Lukas Carey, and Daryl Mitchell has 59.

Have Surrey accepted that the game is up as far as winning it is concerned?

Jamie Smith survives a maiden from Ben Coad and there have been 21 dot balls since Rikki Clarke was out and Jordan Clark replaced him at the crease.

If the visitors are now focused on survival, they have 25 overs to get through.

Leus du Plooy has followed his first-innings hundred with a half-century at Derby.

He is 55 not out and Harvey Hosein is on 48, with Derbyshire 144-4 - a lead over Middlesex of 181.

for Daryl Mitchellpublished at 16:14 British Summer Time 3 July 2019

16:14 BST 3 July 2019

Glamorgan 449 & 246-5 dec v Worcestershire 370 & 127-1

Daryl Mitchell goes to a 99-ball fifty with four runs square of the wicket off Lukas Carey and repeats the stroke from the next delivery with the same result.

He is 56 not out, Callum Ferguson has 62 and Worcestershire need 199 off 30 overs.

It's an order perhaps best placed by Mohammed Irfan or Joel Garner.