It's been coming for a long time and now it's certain - Durham are the champions of Division Two.

The title race in the top flight remains very much alive, though, with leaders Surrey in some trouble against Northants at The Oval.

Rivals Essex had the chance to apply more pressure by making Hampshire follow-on but an unbeaten century by Tom Prest denied them and may have cost them their chance of victory at Chelmsford.

Image source, Rex Features

There were also centuries for Will Rhodes and Lewis Goldsworthy on a day with thankfully more play possible, while Derbyshire keeper Brooke Guest took seven catches in an innings against Sussex.

Thanks for your company. We'll be back with you from 10:00 tomorrow for day four.

Division One

Essex 447-9 dec v Hampshire 322-8

Hampshire trail by 125 with 2 wickets standing

Lancashire 225-6 v Nottinghamshire

Middlesex 121 & 96-1 v Warwickshire 315

Middlesex trail by 98 with 9 wickets standing

Somerset 404-4 v Kent

Surrey 158-6 v Northamptonshire 357

Surrey trail by 199 with 4 wickets standing

Division Two

Derbyshire 94-1 v Sussex 100

Derbyshire trail by 6 with 9 wickets standing

Leicestershire 233 v Yorkshire 155 & 113-1

Yorkshire lead by 35 with 10 wickets standing

Worcestershire 313 v Durham 10-0

Durham trail by 303 with 10 wickets standing

The umpires have removed the stumps from the ground and the covers are coming on.

That's it for the day, with three overs lost at the end.

Sussex will be glad of the respite after a rough day in which they were bowled out in 36.2 overs.

Eight of those wickets fell to Sam Conners and Zak Chappell, who took four each.

Derbyshire have made batting look a lot more comfortable and the only wicket they lost was gifted via a top edged pull by Harry Came to mid wicket off the bowling of Sean Hunt.

And we're off.

Derbyshire are closing in on a low Sussex total here as Brooke Guest gets the gap down to single figues with a glance to fine leg for four off Danial Ibrahim.

Ibrahim changes his line, pushing the ball wide of off stump and Guest leaves.

The umpires are having a chat about the light...

50 for Luis Reecepublished at 18:22 British Summer Time 21 September 2023

18:22 BST 21 September 2023

Derby 88-1 v Sussex 100

Jaydev Unadkat is back, this time from the Racecourse End.

Brooke Guest gets a single off the second ball.

Unadkat gets bounce and movement as the ball misses the edge of Luis Reece's bat by a whisker.

The last ball is leg side and clipped away square by Luis Reece for his eighth four, bringing him a half century off 66 balls.

That's his fifth 50 in a highly productive season that has included two centuries.

That is it for the day at New Road and although Worcestsrhire have made Durham work for it, the visitors are the 2023 Division Two champions.

Ben Raine and Bas de Leede took three wickets each as Durham worked their way through a home line-up depleted when Adam Hose retired hurt after being hit on the wrist by the second ball he faced.

Jake Libby went early for 57 but Brett D'Oliveira played well for 63 before being bowled by an absolute beauty by Matt Parkinson.

Michael Jones will start the final day seven not out, with Alex Lees on three.

Brooke Guest gets three off Sean Hunt with a clip to the leg side as the Derby batters run hard and take on the fielder's arm.

One more run clipped to leg as Luis Reece decides not to take on the arm of James Coles.

Change of bowling. Danial Ibrahim is coming on.

His second ball, bowled round the wicket, is full, wide and cut through backward point by Luis Reece for four.

Four more cut through point off the last ball.

Luis Reece is on 46.

There's an 'after the Lord Mayor's show' feel at New Road following the confirmation of Durham as Division Two champions.

Worcestershire, though, are still in pole position to claim that second promotion spot so a bowling point or two would be very welcome.

Michael Jones flicks Joe Leach fine for four and then plays out a maiden from Dillon Pennington.

There are three overs remaining.

As expected, that's it for the day at Grace Road but this game is still very much in the balance tomorrow.

Harry Swindells and Will Davis seemed to have given Leicestershire a clear advantage with their last-wicket partnership of 93 to turn a small deficit into a handy first-innings lead.

But Yorkshire openers Adam Lyth and Finley Bean wiped out the deficit with a century stand and, although Bean fell to Tom Scriven just before the close, the home side have plenty to do as they chase a win to keep their promotion hopes alive.

Brooke Guest gets his first run, turning a ball from Sean Hunt behind square on the leg side for one.

Eight overs left after this wickets.

Luis Reece pushes Henry Crocombe to long on on and runs two.

The last ball is pushed out wide of the slips and down to third man for a single.

Martin Emmerson
BBC Radio Newcastle

Seven years to the day when Durham thought they had relegated Hampshire, but were instead sent down themselves by the ECB, they have won the second division title.

They needed five points from this match, or had to restrict Worcestershire to fewer than four batting points and that's what they did, bowling them out for 313 with the injured Adam Hose unable to resume.

Worcestershire were 179-4 when rain took the players off the field for three and a half hours. By the time they got back on it was 3.30pm and there were 44 overs remaining in the day.

The innings came to an end at 5.47pm in gloomy conditions at New Road. Ben Raine took 3-66 and Bad De Leede 3-68. So they wrapped up the title with a day left of this match and next week's final game at home to Leicestershire to come.

What a cracking season this has been in the Championship. And here's hoping it is the start of bigger things to come.

Seven overs for Durham's openers to face but they shouldn't have a care in the world as they cannot be caught at the top of the table, whatever the outcome of this match tomorrow.

Alex Lees takes a single from Joe Leach's opening delivery.

Unlike Lord's, the Oval and Taunton we have a few rays of sunshine here at Derby.

Harry Came gets a life on 25 as he edges Sean Hunt just short of first slip.

Frustrating for Sussex who cannot afford to give chances.

Only five more deliveries were bowled after Finley Bean's departure, with Yorkshire nightwatchman Ben Coad scoring a single to get off the mark, before the umpires decreed that the light had worsened sufficiently to halt play.

In theory, there are 13 overs remaining - but in all probability, that'll be it for tonight and Yorkshire will resume 35 ahead with nine wickets still intact.

Henry Crocombe replaces Jaydev Unadkat in the attack and concedes just two runs off his over.

Sean Hunt is driven through cover by Harry Came for four runs.

Beautiful timing and balance on the front foot.

The last ball lands on a length and Harry Came blocks.

for Adam Lythpublished at 17:49 British Summer Time 21 September 2023

17:49 BST 21 September 2023

Leics 233 v Yorks 155 &112-0

Image source, Getty Images

Adam Lyth wins the race with his opening partner Finley Bean to get to a half-century - a sweet drive to the cover boundary off Will Davis gets him there from 61 balls.

It's Lyth's fourth 50 this summer, along with three centuries, and he's only seven runs shy of 1,000 County Championship runs for the season.