Crawley cracks triple-century

After going 51 Championship innings without reaching three figures, John Crawley underlined his return to form in the most emphatic manner possible - by marching on and on to his maiden triple-century, as Hampshire took command at Trent Bridge. Crawley was 154 not out overnight, and eventually finished unbeaten on 301, from 442 balls with 35 fours and two sixes, as Shane Warne declared on a whopping 641 for 4.

Elsewhere, Warwickshire extended their lead at the top of the Frizzell County Championship, and in the process exacerbated Surrey's relegation worries, with an emphatic seven-wicket win at Guildford. Ian Bell was the star of the final day's play - he finished unbeaten on 96 as Warwickshire hunted down their target of 207 with ease. At Cheltenham, Lancashire were denied a morale-boosting win, as Stephen Adshead and Martyn Ball added 75 for the eighth wicket to secure a draw for Gloucestershire, and at New Road, Owais Shah returned to form with an unbeaten 140, to give Middlesex control against Worcestershire.

In the second division, Darren Gough secured Essex's first championship win of the season with a four-wicket haul at Grace Road. But, inevitably, Essex had to do it the hard way. There was little prospect of an upset as Leicestershire set about their pursuit of 398, but John Sadler made 95 and the tail chipped resolutely away at the total to give Essex's supporters one or two jitters. But when Ottis Gibson was run out, Gough returned to trap Charlie Dagnall lbw for 0 to seal a 48-run victory.

County Championship Division One

Warwickshire 537 and 207 for 3 (Bell 96*) beat Surrey 331 and 412 (Batty 145) by seven wickets at Guildford
Scorecard
Day 1 report: Ruthless Bell takes full toll of Surrey - The Times Online
Day 2 report: Ramprakash underlines evergreen talent - The Times Online
Day 3 report: Butcher left to ponder on sidelines - The Daily Telegraph
Day 4 report: Bell knocks out Surrey - The Guardian

Gloucestershire 234 (Cork 5-34) and 366 for 7 (Taylor 74) drew with Lancashire 375 and 354 for 2 dec (Chilton 124*) at Cheltenham
Scorecard
Day 1 report: Franklin leads late fightback - The Independent
Day 2 report: Anderson makes quick impact - The Times Online
Day 3 report: Mongia sets frantic pace - The Daily Telegraph
Day 4 report: Weston weighs in to keep Lancashire waiting - The Independent

Worcestershire 305 and 136 for 4 (Bichel 53*) trail Middlesex 525 (Shah 140*, Hutton 108) by 84 runs at Worcester
Scorecard
Day 1 report: Hall and Solanki expose limitations - The Times Online
Day 2 report: Compton comes to Hutton's aid - The Times Online
Day 3 report: Shah plays former-captain's innings - The Sunday Telegraph

Sussex 396 for 4 (Cottey 114*, Prior 78*) lead Kent 330 (Fulton 122, Smith 79) by 66 runs at Hove
Scorecard
Day 1 report: Fulton and Smith take their lead from Key - The Times Online
Day 2 report: Dozy day by the sea for Kent - The Sunday Telegraph

County Championship Division Two

Somerset 451 and 6 for 0 beat Yorkshire 296 and 160 (McLean 5-45, Dutch 5-26) by 10 wickets at Scarborough
Scorecard
Day 1 report: Ponting takes bow in debut frenzy - The Guardian
Day 2 report: Ponting provides instant impact - The Guardian
Day 3 report: McLean and Dutch seal the victory - The Times Online

Essex 322 and 272 beat Leicestershire 197 and 349 (Sadler 95, Gough 4-89) by 48 runs at Grace Road
Scorecard
Day 1 report: Adams stuns on debut - The Telegraph
Day 2 report: Cook puts Essex on the brink - The Telegraph
Day 3 report: Fired-up Gough on form - The Telegraph
Day 4 report: Hair-raising stuff for Essex - The Telegraph

Derbyshire 195 and 340 for 6 dec (Moss 147*) beat Durham 91 and 279 (North 68, Havell 4-75) by 165 runs at Chester-le-Street
Scorecard
Day 1 report: Durham suffer most as wickets tumble - The Times Online
Day 2 report: Desperate Durham suffer Davies blow - The Telegraph
Day 3 report: 'Wizard' works wonders - The Telegraph

Nottinghamshire 129 for 3 (Bicknell 55*) trail Hampshire 641 for 4 dec (Crawley 301*, Clarke 140*) by 512 runs at Trent Bridge
Scorecard
Day 1 report: Crawley returns to his fluent best The Times Online
Day 2 report: Crawley rolls back the years - The Independent

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