County Championship as it happened: Somerset stay up, Middlesex and Glamorgan stay in promotion hunt

Summary

Somerset beat Northants by 352 runs and will be in Division One next season
Middlesex stay second in Division Two after win at Leicester
Glamorgan beat Derbyshire by an innings and 24 runs in Cardiff
Ben Raine takes 5-54 as Durham defeat Sussex by an innings and 140 runs

Live Reporting

Adam Lanigan, Ben Pheazey and Paul Grunill

Signing offpublished at 15:33 British Summer Time 23 September 2022
Image source, Getty Images
It's been quite a week of County Championship action - and what do we know that we didn't know at the start of it.
We know that Surrey are the 2022 champions, that Gloucestershire will be relegated to Division Two and that Chelmsford isn't a great place to be batting when you are beyond mid-September.
There'll be plenty of smiles at Taunton this evening after Somerset beat Northants to confirm their place in the top-flight for 2023.
And there should be some gripping stuff next week when the final promotion and relegation places are decided. We'll be with you on Monday for full coverage of nine matches.
Next week's fixturespublished at 15:29 British Summer Time 23 September 2022
Start Monday 26 September (all 10:30 starts)
Division One
Canterbury: Kent v Somerset
Old Trafford: Lancashire v Surrey
Northampton: Northamptonshire v Essex
Edgbaston: Warwickshire v Hampshire
Headingley: Yorkshire v Gloucestershire
Division Two
Derby: Derbyshire v Leicestershire
Trent Bridge: Nottinghamshire v Durham
Hove: Sussex v Glamorgan
Worcester: Worcestershire v Middlesex
Friday's results at-a-glancepublished at 15:24 British Summer Time 23 September 2022
Division One
Somerset 389 & 337-4 dec v Northamptonshire 265 & 109
Somerset won by 352 runs
Division Two
Durham 459-7 dec v Sussex 162 & 157-9
Durham won by an innings and 140 runs
Glamorgan 550-5 dec v Derbyshire 253 & 273 (f/o)
Glamorgan win by an innings and 24 runs
Leicestershire 294 & 271 v Middlesex 297 & 271
Middlesex won by 80 runs
Three teams remain in promotion racepublished at 15:21 British Summer Time 23 September 2022
Three teams will be in the running for promotion in next week's final round of Division Two games.
Leaders Notts - beaten by Worcestershire this week - need a maximum of seven points to make sure of their return to the top flight.
The other place is between Middlesex and Glamorgan, who face away games at New Road and Hove respectively.
Glamorgan have not played in Division One since 2005, while Middlesex last did so in 2017.
Image source, BBC Sport
MIDDLESEX BEAT LEICESTERSHIRE BY 80 RUNSpublished at 15:17 British Summer Time 23 September 2022
Breaking
Leicestershire 294 & 194 all out v Middlesex 297 & 271
There it is, victory for Middlesex!
Sam Robson tosses one up, Michael Finan goes for a big hit and he picks out Luke Hollman at cow corner.
Robson's part-time spinners have done the trick this afternoon to get Middlesex over the line, although Leicestershire have made them work hard today.
With those 21 points for the win, the London team are nine ahead of Glamorgan going into the final game.
They are also nine points behind Nottinghamshire, so they could still win the Division Two title.
But what we do know is that Middlesex's success means that Worcestershire and Durham can no longer get promoted.
Postpublished at 15:14 British Summer Time 23 September 2022
Leicestershire 294 & 193-9 v Middlesex 297 & 271
Toby Roland-Jones is again hunting his fifth wicket and the one to finish the game.
But Michael Finan swivels and hits an excellent pull shot to the deep backward square boundary.
Finan can be dangerous - he hit 58 on his debut against Nottinghamshire a fortnight ago.
With these two swinging from the hips, they only need 82 more for a very unlikely victory!
Postpublished at 15:10 British Summer Time 23 September 2022
Leicestershire 294 & 186-9 v Middlesex 297 & 271
Michael Finan tucks away an easy single and that is the 50 partnership between him and Chris Wright.
Another easy run for Wright to take him to 34, which is his highest score of the season.
Postpublished at 15:03 British Summer Time 23 September 2022
Leicestershire 294 & 182-9 v Middlesex 297 & 271
Image source, Rex Features
Michael Finan takes a leaf out of Chris Wright's book as he smashes Sam Robson over the ropes.
Next ball, he sends it out for four more.
This enjoyable last-wicket stand is now worth 47 in 46 balls.
Dropped catchpublished at 15:00 British Summer Time 23 September 2022
Leicestershire 294 & 172-9 v Middlesex 297 & 271
Almost the end but Chris Wright survives!
Wright tries to guide one out towards third. Sam Robson is in a fourth slip position and gets a hand to it, but he can't cling on.
That would have been a brilliant grab.
Postpublished at 14:56 British Summer Time 23 September 2022
Leicestershire 294 & 172-9 v Middlesex 297 & 271
Chris Wright is enjoying himself here. A couple more fours off Sam Robson and he has raced along to 28 off 21 balls.
Make that 32 off 22 as he clubs Toby Roland-Jones back over his head for four more!
Postpublished at 14:44 British Summer Time 23 September 2022
Leicestershire 294 & 152-9 v Middlesex 297 & 271
Chris Wright launches into a Tim Murtagh delivery and sends it straight over his head for six.
He appears in the mood for some lower order biffing!
Postpublished at 14:44 British Summer Time 23 September 2022
Leics 294 & 152-9 v Middx 297 & 271 - target 275
Tim Murtagh offers a bit of width outside off stump and Wright drives handsomely on the up over mid off for a delightful four.
How long will this one last?
Wright takes a single off the fourth ball and Michael Finan thrashes the ball through cover for one.
The last ball is smashed over Murtagh's head for six to bring up the Leicester 150.
Postpublished at 14:43 British Summer Time 23 September 2022
Before the end comes at Grace Road, we just want to give a mention to former Leicestershire spinner Nick Cook, who is standing in his final Championship game as an umpire.
Cook, who also played for Northants, took 879 wickets during his first-class career, including 52 in 15 Tests for England.
He has been a member of the first-class umpiring list since 2009.
Image source, Rex
WICKET Parkinson lbw b Murtagh 16published at 14:31 British Summer Time 23 September 2022
Leicestershire 294 & 135-9 v Middlesex 297 & 271
Two wickets in three balls for Middlesex!
This time, it is Callum Parkinson who is on his way after Tim Murtagh thuds one into his pads and umpire Nick Cook gives it out.
The Foxes skipper dug in for 88 balls, but his team are one wicket away from a ninth Championship loss of 2022.
GLAMORGAN BEAT DERBYSHIRE BY AN INNS AND 24 RUNSpublished at 14:27 British Summer Time 23 September 2022
Breaking
Glamorgan 550-5 dec v Derbys 253 & 273
That's it!
Van der Gugten bowls a good length ball to Ben Aitchison and the Derbyshire number ten drives loosely, edging the ball to the keeper.
Michael Hogan leaves the field triumphantly for the final time as a Glamorgan player here in Sophia Gardens.
Glamorgan are temporarily second in the table on 200 points, though that will change to third should Middlesex dislodge the Leicestershire tail at Grace Road. That's looking highly likely.
Good resistance from Wayne Madsen and Leus du Plooy, plus an entertaining 9th wicket stand of 39, but it wasn't quite enough to save the game.
Fine spell of bowling by James Harris (3-59) to hasten the end of this game after lunch - and hats off to captain David Lloyd for a sublime triple century.
Big task for Bears in final roundpublished at 14:27 British Summer Time 23 September 2022
Following Somerset's victory over Northants, this is what the bottom of the Division One table looks like.
Gloucestershire are already relegated, despite beating Warwickshire on day three, and it will be one of Yorkshire, Kent or the Bears who join them in the second tier for 2023.
The 2021 champions have got a lot of ground to make up and must beat second-placed Hampshire at Edgbaston to have any realistic chance of survival.
Image source, BBC Sport
Postpublished at 14:26 British Summer Time 23 September 2022
Glamorgan 550-5 dec v Derbys 253 & 273-9 f/o - trail by 24
The last Derby batter is Adam Sylvester.
Ben Aitchison is batting with a runner because of an ankle injury and plays a loose defensive shot with no footwork off the bowling of Van der Gugten.
He jabs the third ball safely into the off side...
WICKET Ackermann lbw b Robson 80published at 14:26 British Summer Time 23 September 2022
Leicestershire 294 & 135-8 v Middlesex 297 & 271
Colin Ackermann's resistance is broken!
It is the unlikely figure of Sam Robson and his part-time leg spinners who does the trick.
Ackermann goes to sweep and is hit on the pads and Leicestershire's chance of survival may have gone with him.
WICKET Conners c Van der Guten b Hogan 23published at 14:23 British Summer Time 23 September 2022
Glamorgan 550-5 dec v Derbys 253 & 273-9 f/o - trail by 24
This is getting a bit annoying for Glamorgan now.
Aitchison plays a gorgeous checked drive off the bowling of Hogan and the ball rolls away at speed all along the ground for four.
Little more than a gentle push, really.
A single is pushed to mid off for one.
The last ball is short. Conners goes for the hook and after what seems like an eternity the ball lands into the hands of Timm van der Gugten at long leg.
Parkinson hits first fourpublished at 14:19 British Summer Time 23 September 2022
Leicestershire 294 & 134-7 v Middlesex 297 & 271
A long hop from Luke Hollman and Callum Parkinson slogs it to the boundary.
That takes Parkinson up to 15 from 82 balls. This partnership is now worth 64 and there are a few furrowed brows amongst the Middlesex fielders.
Although we still have 48 more overs of cricket.