Somerset, Leicestershire secure wins while Bresnan hundred keeps Yorkshire alive in title race

Somerset reached the top of the Division One points table after securing a massive 325-run win over Nottinghamshire to keep their title hopes alive.

Meanwhile in Division Two, Glamorgan collapsed dramatically as Leicestershire secured a win to end their campaign. Elsewhere in Birmingham, Bristol and Worcester, Warwickshire, Sussex and Worcestershire made steady gains towards securing wins.

Specsavers County Championship Division One

The Rose Bowl, Southampton: Day Three - Hampshire 411 & 176-7 v Durham 361

Durham resumed their day on 242 for seven. Michael Richardson (99 not out) played an excellent knock and added crucial stands of 79 and 86 for the eighth and ninth wickets with Brydon Carse (45) and Graham Onions (38) respectively. However, Richardson was left stranded on 99 as Durham were bowled out for 361 runs in 116 overs.

After a 50-run opening stand, Hampshire lost two quick wickets and were rescued by a brief partnership between Will Smith (30) and James Vince (13). Ryan Pringle (5-64), then ran through the Hampshire middle order and reduced them to 108 for six in 24.6 overs. Liam Dawson (39) and Lewis McManus (41 not out) rescued the innings and pushed the score to 176 for seven at stumps on day three.

Lord’s, London: Day Three - Middlesex 270 & 81-2 v Yorkshire 390

Yorkshire restarted their innings on the overnight score of 235 for six at stumps on day two. Tim Bresnan (142 not out) and AzeemRafiq (65) added 114 runs for the seventh wicket and pulled Yorkshire out of a tricky situation. After Rafiq fell, Bresnan batted well with the tail and went on to complete his century as he stayed unbeaten and took Yorkshire to 390 before they were bowled out in 116.3 overs.

After two quick strikes at the start, Middlesex scored 81 for two in 38 overs as they ended two three with a deficit of 39 runs with eight wickets in hand.

County Ground, Taunton: Day Three - Somerset 365 & 313-5 dec. beat Nottinghamshire 138 & 215 by 325 runs

Somerset began their second innings on the overnight score of 105 for two. Chris Rogers (100 not out) scored an unbeaten hundred and added important stands with Ryan Davies (59) and Peter Trego (55), who scored brisk fifties. After Rogers reached his century, Somerset declared with the score at 3113 for five, giving Nottinghamshire a target of 541 runs.

In the chase, Nottinghamshire began steadily with a 48-run stand but lost three quick wickets later on. Michael Lumb (31), Samit Patel (37) and Billy Root (66 not out) put in handy contributions but it was not enough as Jack Leach (4-69) and Roelof van der Merwe (3-59) ran through the batting line up and bowled Nottinghamshire out for 215 runs in 63.2 overs. This 325-run win gave Somerset 23 points and they currently are at the top of the table with a total haul of 226 points.

Edgbaston, Birmingham: Day Three - Warwickshire 219 & 279-7 dec.v Lancashire 152 & 28-3

Restarting on the overnight score of 12 for naught, Warwickshire lost Alex Mellor (6) early in the day. Handy knocks from the middle and lower order and an unbeaten fifty from Tim Ambrose (59 not out) gave Warwickshire some respite despite losing wickets at regular intervals.

After scoring 279 for seven in 83 overs, Warwickshire opted to declare, giving Lancashire a target of 347 runs. Lancashire were rattled in the chase as they lost two wickets inside the first 10 overs and another in the 15th over, ending up at 28 for three at stumps on day three, still needing 319 runs to win.

Specsavers County Championship Division Two

County Ground, Bristol: Day Three - Gloucestershire 229& 88-3 v Sussex 435

Resuming on 208 for four, Sussex lost Philip Salt (42) early in the day. However, Ben Brown (118) scored an impressive century and rallied along with the lower order to push the score to 435 before Sussex were bowled out in 128.5 overs. Josh Shaw (5-79) and Craig Miles (4-109) shared nine of the 10 wickets that fell.

After losing Gareth Roderick (9) in the sixth over, Chris Dent (47 not out) and James Bracey (12) put on a brief stand. Two more wickets fell towards the end of the day’s play as Gloucestershire ended day three on 88 for three, trailing Sussex by 118 runs.

St Lawrence Ground, Canterbury: Day Three - Kent 441 v Essex 289-9

Starting the third day on 389 for seven, Kent pushed on to take the score of 441 in 108.1 overs before being bowled out. Matt Dixon (5-124) took a five-fer for Essex. After a 51-run opening stand, Essex lost their top order in quick succession. Dan Lawrence (88) fought along with the middle order and scored a fluent 88 before Essex were reduced to 265 for eight. Eventually, Essex reached 289 for nine in 81 overs at the end of play on day three.

Grace Road, Leicester: Day Three - Leicestershire 96 & 283 beat Glamorgan 199 &154 by 26 runs

Needing 170 more runs to win with nine wickets in hand, Glamorgan two quick wickets at the start. However, William Bragg (65), Aneurin Donald (23) and Kiran Carlson (22) managed to keep the tricky chase on track. However, Glamorgan collapsed from 144 for four to being bowled out for 154 runs as Charlie Shreck (4-33) and Clint McKay (3-42) ran through the batting line-up, securing a 26-run victory for Leicestershire.

County Ground, New Road, Worcester: Day Three - Worcestershire 475-7 dec. v Derbyshire 248 & 15-1 (f/o)

Beginning their first innings on 15 for naught, Derbyshire were in all sorts of trouble as they lost six wickets for 103 runs in 38 overs. A hundred from Harvey Hosein (108) and Greg Cork’s (49) resistance took the score to 248 before Derbyshire were bowled out for 248 runs in 85.3 overs.

Joe Leach (5-60) was the star with the ball. Worcestershire enforced the follow-on and Derbyshire lost another wicket as they ended up with a score of 15 for one in 11 overs at stumps on day three, still trailing by 212 runs.

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