Rogers leads Derbyshire by example

Chris Rogers relished his new role as captain of Derbyshire, leading his side to the only win in a rain-affected County Championship round. Rogers took over the top job after Rikki Clarke resigned and immediately helped Derbyshire jump to fourth spot on the Division Two table with a seven-wicket victory over Middlesex at Derby.

After Middlesex posted 306, Rogers responded by anchoring the reply with 80 to continue his strong 2008. His team finished with 347 and after Charl Langeveldt's five wickets rattled Middlesex for 166, it left Derbyshire with only 126 to confirm the win. Rogers fell for 20 but his first match as captain was without doubt a success.

In Cardiff, Gloucestershire's Marcus North sat around for two wet days waiting for a start against Glamorgan. When he did get a chance, he carried on his positive form with 52 as his side declared at 400 for 7 but a draw was inevitable and Gloucestershire will sit on the bottom of the Division Two table for at least one more round.

In Division One, Somerset retained third position after a high-scoring draw with Surrey at Taunton. Somerset's captain Justin Langer made 72 in a 132-run opening stand with Marcus Trescothick as they set up a strong 401 for 3. Mark Ramprakash's unbeaten 200 helped Surrey to 406 for 9 and he had some assistance from the newly named New South Wales selector Matthew Nicholson, who made 43.

Also in the mix near the top of Division One are Lancashire, who sit fourth despite conceding the majority of the points to Yorkshire in a draw at Old Trafford. Lancashire's captain Stuart Law made 37 as his team fell for 231 and he then had no bowling answers as Yorkshire declared with a first-innings lead of 169.

There were no Australians in action in the Friends Provident Trophy final at Lord's, where Essex defeated Kent, while in the Pro40 competition an economical spell of 2 for 20 from Nicholson helped Surrey to a 63-run victory over Northamptonshire at The Oval. The result was not so good for Langer, who made 40 in Somerset's five-wicket loss to Hampshire at Taunton.