Image source, Rex Features

It was a day when the rain threatened to ruin everything.

Gloucestershire and Durham were in strong positions to force victories but were denied by the weather.

For Yorkshire, there was only frustration as not a single ball was possible for them at Hove to chase the 63 they needed to beat Sussex, while Kent and Essex never made it onto the field at Canterbury.

But when hope seemed lost, there was Lord's.

The rain relented and Middlesex were set 249 off 40 overs to beat Nottinghamshire - an old fashioned Sunday League chase.

Ryan Higgins and Sam Robson got them over the line by four wickets with an over to spare to provide us some thrilling late afternoon entertainment and remind us just why we love red-ball cricket.

Thank you for your company over the last four days. We'll be back on Thursday morning for the fourth round of matches when champions Surrey are back in action. We hope you can join us once again.

Middlesex's dramatic win over Notts has lifted them up to eighth in Division One, with 26 points from three matches. Here's how the top of the table looks.

Image source, BBC Sport

Division One

Kent 342-7 v Essex 451-5 dec

Match drawn

Middlesex 274 & 249-6 v Nottinghamshire 364 & 158-6 dec

Middlesex won by four wickets

Somerset 441 & 256-6 v Lancashire 554

Match drawn

Division Two

Glamorgan 305 & 104-6 v Durham 471-9 dec

Match drawn

Sussex 361 & 137 v Yorkshire 298 & 138-3

Match drawn

Worcestershire 157 & 51-4 v Gloucestershire 231 & 226-4 dec

Match drawn

There it is! Swung away by Robson and a missed runout as Higgins scampers to Robson's end!

Robson has to really get his skates on to complete the winning run with just six balls left.

There's a nasty collision between Robson and Lyndon James but they're both OK.

Handshakes all round for a fab game. Middlesex did what they had to do after Notts dominated much of the match.

Broad finishes with seven wickets in the match. A first innings 177 for Ben Duckett.

But it wasn't quite enough after lengthy rain delays prompted the early declaration and run chase.

Brilliant batting from Mark Stoneman, Pieter Malan and Max Holden in particular to set up a thrilling win.

Several Notts players have chatted to the umpires (presumably about the light) but we're playing on.

Broad to Robson... A nudge to square leg for one. Can Higgins finish it from here?

Not quite. Another pull to leg for one. Robson pulls to deep square for two.

Scores level. The field moves up.

Eight to win. Looking back on it, perhaps the higher risk shots that brought about some of the dismissals were played with the declining light in mind.

Robson plays and misses Paterson outside off, trying to run the ball down to third man.

Single to wide long on. Higgins scoops the fifth to mid wicket.

One more to Robson at long off and Notts are on the brink.

Umpires are checking the light again...

From Sarah: "Whatever is said as we move towards losing, I admire @Mull05, external@TrentBridge, external for making it a match and going for the win. This is so much more interesting and this is what cricket is all about #lovecricket, external#bbccricket, external"

Image source, Rex Features

Phew. We're still playing. Broad is back on at the Pavilion end. He has 3-67.

A flashing pull shot by Robson brings a single to deep square leg.

Another pull, this time by Higgins - and the ball flies off a top edge down to fine leg for four!

Applause from the Middlesex faithful.

Higgins goes back and across to swat the fifth ball to long on for three!

One more to Robson and Middlesex are nearly home.

Worcestershire say that Brett D'Oliveira did not suffer a serious injury when he was forced to retire hurt after being struck on the hand by a quick delivery by Marchant de Lange at New Road.

"Brett is okay. He went off to hospital and had an x-ray and, as it stands, it is all clear. He is pretty shaken up at the moment and it is a bit sore," coach Alan Richardson told the club website., external

"A couple of days of icing it and getting some painkillers, and seeing where he stands after that.”

Rain saved the Pears from the possibility of defeat when they were 51-4 after being set a target of 301.

Martin Emmerson
BBC Radio Newcastle

Despite 22 overs remaining in this match when they went off at 5.05pm for rain, the umpires decided there was not enough time to recommence proceedings following a brief cloudburst.

I was concerned only one half of the square had been covered by the groundstaff, but it seems the severity of the rain, even though brief, took everyone by surprise.

Play can't re-start after 6.00pm on the final day of a game and the officials didn't think the staff could clear up before then.

Durham skipper Scott Borthwick said: "We came so close and after we got Chris Cooke out late on I thought we could go on and win it.

"Despite so much time being lost in this game to the weather I think we did a brilliant job to put ourselves in a match-winning position. The lads have played so well over the four days.

"It's frustrating we couldn't get this one over the line but there are plenty of positives to take from the way we have been playing so far this season. It's been exciting cricket."

Durham took 13 points from the game to Glamorgan's nine.

Dane Paterson replaces Broad in the attack. 21 to win.

He's wide outside off. Higgins plays and misses. The field is set deep and the second ball is swung away by Higgins to deep mid wicket for one.

Now the field moves in for Robson. He's not a true tail ender, though! A nudge to off for one off the fifth.

The last ball is slow and very wide outside off stump. Higgins will be off strike.

The Umpires are chatting about the light... Surely not.

Middlesex need barely four an over and spectators must be scratching their heads and wondering how some of these dismissals came to pass.

Hutton digs in short and Higgins hooks to deep mid wicket for one with a timely roll of the wrists.

Robson, fine batter though he is, is not known as a dasher - so is the tactic now to give him the strike?

Robson is off the mark with a pull to mid wicket for one.

Big appeal for caught behind off a Higgins hook but it's given not out. Must have been close to the blade.

Single taken. Five off the over in total.

Lancashire are still waiting for their first win of the Championship season after being unable to bowl Somerset out on the final day.

The home side were wobbling at 53-3 and 169-6, but a Taunton pitch which 1,251 runs over the four days was the decisive factor.

"It was hard work and a pretty flat wicket, as you can tell by the scores," said Lancashire bowler Tom Bailey, who took 3-49 today.

"We knew we had every chance was the ball was hard and new, but the ball got soft and the wicket stayed flat and intact, and it became really tough."

As we reach an exciting climax at Lord's, here's the list of County Championship games which will begin on Thursday. As always, we'll be providing full coverage.

Division One

Lord's: Middlesex v Kent

Edgbaston: Warwickshire v Surrey

Division Two

Chester-le-Street: Durham v Derbyshire

Bristol: Gloucestershire v Sussex

Leicester: Leicestershire v Glamorgan

Middlesex on the chargepublished at 18:01 British Summer Time 23 April 2023

18:01 BST 23 April 2023

Middlesex 219-5 (Target 249) 7 overs left

A bit of width from Hutton and Hollman hits it to cover point. In the air for a while but the ball lands safely.

Higgins pulls to leg for one more. They need less than a run a ball so singles are fine.

Shot! Hollman smashes the ball on bended knee down to wide long on for six runs!

Pressure straight back on Notts. 30 to win.

Image source, Getty Images

Yorkshire may have been denied victory by the weather at Hove, but there is some good news for the county's supporters.

Coach Ottis Gibson has told BBC West Yorkshire Sport's Jonathan Doidge that Jonny Bairstow hopes to make his comeback for the second XI this week., external

The England batter has not played since suffering a broken left leg and dislocated ankle after slipping on a tee box while playing golf in September.

If all goes well, he could make his first team return for Yorkshire against Glamorgan on 4 May.

Read more: Bairstow says request to keep wicket for Yorkshire is 'non-story'

Was that lofted drive to long on needed with five an over required? A debate for another day perhaps.

Broad bowls... Another pull to leg and Hollman is off the mark.

The batters are happy to look for singles at this stage.

Hollman backs away from a short ball and nudges it to third man for one more.

Six runs off the over.

Here's how the top of the second tier looks following today's three drawn games.

Image source, BBC Sport

*Gloucestershire had a previous no result against Yorkshire.