Lancashire stare into the abyss

Lancashire came within two wickets of defeating Worcestershire but in the end they were denied by Steve Rhodes, who batted for almost an hour in his final first-class match to earn a draw. It wasn't enough to save Worcestershire from the drop, but it leaves Lancashire having to beat Gloucestershire in their final match, and they also need to get three more bonus points that their opponents who sit 17 points ahead of them in the table.

Gloucestershire took seven vital points from their match against Sussex, bad weather on the final day limiting play to less than three hours. At Lord's, Northamptonshire, whose own relegation was confirmed yesterday, drew with Middlesex after being set 355 to win at five an over, largely thanks to 90 from David Sales.

In Division Two, Leicestershire took a little over an hour to complete their six-wicket win over Durham, a result which gives them a remote chance of catching Glamorgan for the third promotion spot. Glamorgan were left kicking their heels at Cardiff where a third successive day was severely disrupted by the weather. At Taunton, Somerset bowled Yorkshire out for 304 and then, looking to make up for lost time, declared on 141 for 0 before reducing the visitors to 125 for 4 at the close, a lead of 308.

County Championship Division One

Latest table

Gloucestershire 178 and 304 for 5 (Gidman 82, Hancock 77*, Spearman 65) drew with Sussex 199 (Averis 5-45) at Bristol
Scorecard
Day 1 report: Accurate Averis puts Sussex on back foot - The Times
Day 2: no play because of rain
Day 3 report: Sussex struggle to stay afloat - The Sunday Times

Northamptonshire 282 and 224 for 4 (Sales 90, Huggins 82*) drew with Middlesex 425 and 212 for 6 (Joyce 59, Koenig 51) at Lord's
Scorecard
Day 1 report: Shah and Joyce lift Middlesex - The Times
Day 2 report: Afzaal props up Northants - The Telegraph

Worcestershire 352 for 9 dec and 199 for 8 (Smith 50) drew with Lancashire 403 for 9 dec and 242 for 6 dec (Hooper 75*, Chapple 63) at Worcester
Scorecard
Day 1 report: Law leads Lancashire's survival bid - Wisden Cricinfo
Day 2 report: Hegg gives Lancs fresh hope - The Guardian
Day 3 report: Rhodes refuses to go quietly - The Sunday Telegraph

County Championship Division Two

Latest table

B>Leicestershire 508 and 71 for 4 beat Durham 298 and 280 by six wickets at Chester-le-Street
Scorecard
Day 1 report: Mustard adds dash of class - The Daily Telegraph
Day 2 report: Durham's bowlers fail to contain Maunders - The Times

Essex 167 and 194 for 2 (Cook 68*) beat Derbyshire 192 and 166 (Kaneria 4-36) by eight wickets at Chelmsford
Scorecard
Day 1 report: Essex wilt as wickets tumble - The Daily Telegraph

Nottinghamshire 273 for 6 (Singh 112) v Glamorgan
Day 1: No play because of rain
Day 2 report: Croft inspires Glamorgan - The Sunday Times

Yorkshire 324 (Jaques 95, Sayers 62, Caddick 4-94) and 125 for 4 lead Somerset 141 for 0 (Bowler 75*, Wood 62*) by 308 runs at Taunton
Scorecard
Day 1 report: Rain takes edge off needle match - The Guardian