Somerset thrash Glamorgan for Division One promotion

Hampshire face a fight to save their match against Surrey after they were asked to follow on, on the third day at the Rose Bowl. Resuming on 47 for 2 Hampshire slipped to 221 all out, with Chris Schofield picking up 5 for 52 from 22 overs. They were indebted to Jimmy Adams' 110, and he remained not out on 31 in Hampshire's second innings when they again stumbled to 121 for 3.

Division One points table (as of September 1, 2007)

Team	Mat	Won	Lost	Tied	Draw	Aban	Pts
Yorkshire	14	4	3	0	7	0	167
Durham	13	5	4	0	4	0	155.5
Sussex	13	5	2	0	5	1	153
Lancashire	13	3	1	0	8	1	149
Hampshire	13*	4	1	0	7	0	144
Warwickshire	14	2	3	0	9	0	131
Kent	14	2	4	0	7	1	127
Surrey	14*	2	4	0	6	1	121
Worcestershire	14	1	6	0	5	2	86

Somerset brushed aside an unconvincing Glamorgan by 299 runs at Taunton and, in the process, hoisted themselves into Division One of the Championship next season. James Hildreth (69) and Neil McKenzie (84) bolstered Somerset's already sizeable lead, though the aggressive intent handed Robert Croft some deserved wickets, picking up 5 for 102. Faced with a Himalayan target of 499, Glamorgan offered scant resistance bar the brave efforts of Jimmy Maher (39) and Ben Wright, as Andy Caddick (4 for 48) and Ian Blackwell wrapped up the match. Caddick's haul took him to 68 for the season.

Gloucestershire trounced Leicestershire by the vast margin of an innings-and-151-runs at Grace Road. The visitors declared on an imposing 650 for 8 once Steve Adshead had carved his way to a brutal 99. But in reply, Leicestershire's middle-order folded feebly - though not before Paul Nixon smacked 77 from 80 balls. Vikram Banerjee was the chief beneficiary with 3 for 74 while Steve Kirby and Carl Greenidge chipped in with two each.

Danish Kaneria spun Essex to an emphatic 227-run win over Derbyshire at Derby. Set an improbable 403, Derbyshire slumped from 104 for 3 to 130 for 8, losing Travis Birt for 63. The next highest scorers were Graham Wagg and Tom Lungley, both with 22, as Derbyshire's feeble lineup succumbed to the dual foreign force of Kaneria (6 for 45) and Andy Bichel, whose 4 for 96 gave him 11 in the match.

Middlesex tried ten different bowlers on the final day at Lord's, in a spirited attempt to inject life into a dull match on a dead pitch, as their game against Nottinghamshire petered to a draw. There was plenty of time for Samit Patel to notch his sixth first-class hundred, and Stephen Fleming cracked a brisk 81 to take his side to 456 for 7. He fell to the unlikely name of Andrew Strauss, handing the England batsman only his second first-class wicket (and best figures of 1 for 16).

Division Two points table (as of September 1, 2007)