Image source, Rex Features

Thanks for your company over the last four days.

Some cracking finishes this afternoon, how can people not love first-class cricket?

You can catch radio coverage of the final day of Sussex's game with Middlesex tomorrow. Our live-texting will return on Sunday for the penultimate round of fixtures in this year's County Championship.

Hopefully you can join us then.

I'm off to the shops to buy some ice. Keep safe guys!

That's stumps on day three.

Middlesex are well and truly in the driving seat with Sussex still trailing by 269.

Following his fantastic career-best 156 in the first innings, Sussex opener Tom Haines (39 not out) will begin day four needing another 18 runs to become the first batsman to 1,000 in the County Championship this summer.

Two overs to go tonight.

Tom Haines will probably have to wait until the morning to try and get to 1,000 runs for the season.

He's on 982, just behind Durham's David Bedingham who has 992.

Just a reminder that this game started a day later than the rest so they'll finish tomorrow.

And then there was one.

Five overs to go on day three at Hove with rain clouds in the distance.

They'll complete this game tomorrow when it'll either be a draw or Middlesex victory.

• Hampshire v Notts
• Somerset v Lancashire
• Yorkshire v Warwickshire

1. Notts - 49 pts

2 = Yorkshire - 38.5 pts

2 = Hants - 38.5 pts

4. Warwickshire - 36 pts

5. Lancashire - 31.5 pts

6. Somerset - 23.5 pts

The side that finishes top will be crowned County Champions for 2021.

Got him!

Brett Hutton bounces one into Saqib Mahmood's body, and he prods the ball straight to the fielder at short leg.

Lancashire gave their all, but fall 71 deliveries short of saving a draw.

Nottinghamshire had to work hard for this win. But boy what a victory, they now go 10.5 points clear at the top of Division One.

A huge appeal.

Dane Paterson thinks he has Danny Lamb leg before.

Umpire Nick Cook shakes his head. 12 overs remain, but number 11 Saqib Mahmood is about to face the start of the next over.

Middlesex spinner Luke Hollman has picked up his sixth wicket of the day, bowling Sussex opener Ali Orr for 20.

Tom Haines has 32 and moves to 975 runs for the season.

Lancashire survive another two overs.

14 to go.

10 overs to go on day three at Hove.

Sussex opener Tom Haines is up to 28... 29 away from being the first batsman to reach 1,000 County Championship runs this summer.

Image source, Rex Features

Saqib Mahmood blocks out the remaining four balls.

16 overs to go.

Saqib Mahmood is the number 11, with George Lavelle as his runner.

16.4 overs remaining.

for Tom Baileypublished at 16:45 British Summer Time 8 September 2021

16:45 BST 8 September 2021

Notts v Lancs 310-8 (target 444)

Danny Lamb drives one through the covers to bring up his 50.

Alongside Tom Bailey on (45 not out) he's just brought up the 100 partnership from 117 balls.

A generous round of applause ripples through Trent Bridge.

Tom Bailey (39 not out) gets a quick single to take his partnership with Danny Lamb (47 not out) to 88.

Incidentally, that breaks Lancashire's previous record for a ninth-wicket stand against Nottinghamshire. The previous record of 87 was set by Bill Huddleston and Harry Dean in 1909.

19 overs remain.

Image source, Rex Features

All the talk earlier this round was about who would be first to 1,000 County Championship runs for the summer - Durham's David Bedingham (992), Worcestershire's Jake Libby (976), or Middlesex's Sam Robson (973)?

Well, Sussex opener Tom Haines has crept up on them all with his first-innings 156.

He's on 956 for the season and needs another 44 to reach the milestone! 13 not out in this second innings at Hove.

This ninth-wicket stand is now worth 87 runs.