Summary

  • Surrey & Essex battling for Division One title in final round

  • Surrey will be champions if Essex fail to make 400 inside 110 overs

  • Hants bowl out Surrey for 207 at the Ageas Bowl

  • Northants already relegated; Middlesex or Kent will join them

  • Worcestershire promoted after getting two batting bonus points

Live Reporting

Gary Smee, Alex Hoad and Ben Pheazey

  1. wicket

    WICKET Muyeye c Jennings b Balderson 46

    Kent 64-1 v Lancashire 327

    A stunning piece of cricket.

    Tawanda Muyeye was coming to the boil nicely for Kent but he has to go, George Balderson finds the edge with just his second ball and Keaton Jennings takes a superb diving catch low to his right at second slip.

    Muyeye wants to see the finger go up, he's not sure, but it looks a clean grab and the opener departs after seven fours, almost entirely delicious ones, in a 61-ball stay.

    Daniel Bell-Drummond comes in to join Ben Compton.

  2. 50 runs

    partnership for Kent

    Kent 59-0 v Lancashire 327

    Sub-50 strike rates aren't for everyone these days, and they are certainly not usually associated with Tawanda Muyeye.

    He makes sure he doesnt have to worry about that with a couple more boundaries in a Jack Blatherwick over which costs 13 and takes the opening wicket stand past 50.

    The run rate has crept up from just over one to nearly 3.5 in the last 40 minutes.

    Kent are 191 runs away from a batting bonus of their own.

    Ben Compton is on 13, with a strike rate of 25, by the way...

  3. wicket

    WICKET Sanderson b Porter 12

    Northants 365-9 v Essex

    Bowled him! Perfect off cutter from Jamie Porter that jags in and knocks out the middle pole.

    Ben Sanderson has played all around it.

    He leaves the crease and the last Northants batter is Jack White.

    Ben Sanderson is bowledRex Features

  4. Mohammad Abbas injured?

    Hants 219 v Surrey 69-3

    Worryingly for Hampshire, Mohammad Abbas has been off the field this morning and looks to be feeling his lower back as he stoops down to field the ball.

    Kyle Abbott is over the wicket to Ben Foakes, who turns the last ball to leg but there's no run.

  5. wicket

    WICKET Eskinazi lbw b Paterson 58

    Notts v Middlesex 224-5

    The Middlesex momentum is slowed, for now at least.

    Stephen Eskinazi has to go after being pinned in front, angled in to the right-hander and thumping him in front of middle and leg.

    That's 49 wickets for the season for Dane Paterson who jagged that one back imperiously.

    Josh de Caires is the new man.

    If we needed more jeopardy, there are dark clouds on the horizon and the lights are coming on.

  6. 50 runs

    50 for Justin Broad

    Northants 362-8 v Essex

    That's his first 50 for the club, really blunting an Essex attack who may have thought they could wrap the innings up promptly after the wicket of Rob Keogh this morning.

    Justin Broad is forward to Jamie Porter, punching the bowler straight down the ground for his sixth four.

    He has 50 off 86 balls.

  7. Notts v Middlesex 222-4

    Sam Robson was the only Middlesex player to pass 80 in a red-ball innings this season... until today.

    Ryan Higgins is putting the team on his shoulders in the last month of the season and has moved onto 86.

    The visitors are 28 away from closing the gap on Kent with a bonus point.

  8. new ball

    New ball taken at Northampton

    Northants 356-8 v Essex

    Essex take it at the earliest opportunity.

    Two slips in for Jamie Porter.

  9. Kent 38-0 v Lancashire 327

    Tawanda Muyeye has ripped that glorious cover drive off Jack Blatherwick straight out of a textbook.

    Any hint of width and he's tucking in with gusto. A patient start but he's moved to 25 from 46 balls.

    Ben Compton has crawled into double figures at the other end, 10 from 44, but he won't mind a jot. All the while he is there holding up an end Kent's batters will back themselves to keep the scoreboard ticking over.

    They need to match Middlesex's haul, remember, and the Londoners are closing on their first bonus point.

  10. Hants 219 v Surrey 68-3

    Lovely shot from Sai Sudharsan, moving back and across to Kyle Abbott and stroking the bowler through cover for four.

    The sun is breaking through at the Ageas Bowl and batting is getting just a little bit easier.

  11. Northants 352-8 v Essex

    Justin Broad and Ben Sanderson both attack Simon Harmer, driving on the front foot and picking up five singles between them in the over.

    Now some punishment for Matt Critchley at the other end as Justin Broad reverse sweeps square for four!

    Critchley gets a ball to rise up outside off and JB shuffles back to defend on the off side.

    JB misses a conventional sweep but then connects off the next ball for four more through square leg.

    Northants have passed 350 in the 79th over.

  12. 30 minutes to go...

    It really is last-chance saloon to pick your county XI for 2023. Voting closes at midday...

    Pick your county team of the 2023 season

    Who has impressed you in the County Championship this summer? Pick your team of the 2023 season using our selector.

    Read More
  13. 50 runs

    for Stephen Eskinazi

    Notts v Middlesex 215-4

    What a time to get his first half-century of the season.

    Outstanding stuff with some glorious shots, and of course plenty of guts too after his enforced retirement last evening. He narrowly beat a run-out attempt a couple of balls earlier but Eskinazi raises his bat.

    He's given Middlesex a very strong platform to build on here in the quest for a hatful of points, but his work is not yet done.

  14. Hants 219 v Surrey 64-3

    Kyle Abbott bowls an off stump line from the Hotel End to Surrey's Sai Sudharsan, who defends on the front foot.

    Good over from Abbott, angling the ball in and nipping it away off the seam.

    Shot! Abbott drops short and Sudharsan cuts off the back foot through cover for four.

  15. Northants 337-8 v Essex

    Ben Sanderson is off the mark as the Northants number ten waits in his crease and strokes Matt Critchley away through backward point for two.

    This time he goes a bit "Tom Taylor" if you will, with a lofted drive over Jamie Porter at mid on for four!

    Now spinner Simon Harmer will have his first bowl of the morning...

  16. wicket

    WICKET Patel c Albert b Dawson 19

    Hants 219 v Surrey 60-3

    Hampshire have turned to spin, bringing Liam Dawson into the attack.

    Out! Not a great ball, though.

    A short ball from the Hampshire spinner, which Ryan Patel pulls straight to Toby Albert, who takes it at mid wicket.

    The new batter is Ben Foakes.

  17. Kent 18-0 v Lancashire 327

    Jack Blatherwick has replaced Tom Bailey after five mesmerising overs which cost just seven runs.

    Will Williams continues from the Nackington Road End, for now...

    Slow going for Kent who have scored 18 from 12 overs. They have plenty of players who are capable of going through the gears later in the day, if required, of course.

  18. wicket

    WICKET Taylor c Porter b Critchley 14

    Northants 327-8 v Essex

    A Tom Taylor cameo of 14 is over as Matt Critchley takes his third wicket of the innings.

    Two balls after Taylor lofts Critchley over mid on for four, he's been caught in the same region by Jamie Porter trying to repeat the stroke - off his 15th ball.

    The new batter is Ben Sanderson.

  19. Northants 323-7 v Essex

    Tom Taylor tucks into a leg side ball from Umesh Yadav and deflects it down to fine leg for a first boundary. Four runs.

    44 added so far this morning for the loss of Rob Keogh.

    Positive batting, attacking the short ball and running hard for the singles.

  20. Somerset all out

    Warwickshire v Somerset 215

    Relief for Warwickshire as Neil Wagner and Josh Davey are finally dismissed.

    After a ninth-wicket stand of 119, Wagner snicks Oliver Hannon-Dalby behind for an excellent 72... although the New Zealander isn't convinced he hit it.

    The very next ball Davey skies Chris Rushworth and goes for 46. Rushworth finishes with figures of 5-47.

    There's not much riding on this game, but plenty of entertainment at Edgbaston.