LV County Championship 2012: Sunday April 15

6.50pm: Ivo Tennant at Hampshire v Gloucestershire

For Gloucestershire, this victory by 33 runs was not so much important as desperately needed. Having been beaten in two days at Chelmsford last week and worryingly short of money, they had to dismiss Hampshire, a club with significantly greater resources, for a total of less than 289. They did so with just 12 balls remaining.

Hampshire, seemingly, were on the verge of drawing what had been an absorbing contest. Michael Bates, their talented young wicketkeeper, had demonstrated he can also bat. His innings of 87 was a career best score. His partnership of 118 with Chris Wood, whose 65 was also more than he had ever made before, appeared sufficient to save the match...

Full report follows soon

5.00pm George Dobell at Warwickshire v Somerset

In a game overflowing with twists and turns, Jeetan Patel landed the decisive blow to see Warwickshire to a tense victory over Somerset. Patel, coming to the crease with his side requiring 52 for victory and only two wickets in hand, thrashed 43 in 36 balls to settle a match which had veered from one side to the other throughout an intriguing three-and-a-half days.

No-one had more reason to be grateful for Patel’s intervention than Jim Troughton. The Warwickshire captain, who played his part in a match-clinching 55-run stand with Patel, had dropped a simple chance on the third day that had allowed Somerset back into the game. Jos Buttler was on seven and had added just 12 with Nick Compton when Troughton missed an easy chance at mid-off. Buttler went on to score 93 and extend Somerset’s sixth-wicket partnership to 167.

Read George Dobell's full report

4.05pm: Ivo Tennant at Hampshire v Gloucestershire

If Hampshire draw this match, it will be in no small part owing to Michael Bates, whose wicketkeeping skills are unquestioned, but whose lack of runs last year led to his club making an approach to Essex to try to sign James Foster. Apart from the fact that Foster is nearer the end of his career than the beginning, this sent out the wrong signal to talented young cricketers everywhere, not just at Southampton. Surely the proper way for a club to progress is to nurture its own talent over a period of time, even in this era of promotion and relegation. On today's evidence, Bates has the technique to make runs in the future.

2.15pm: Ivo Tennant at Hampshire v Gloucestershire

Hampshire, three wickets down, will do well to draw, let alone avoid defeat. Still, they could pick up another spectator shortly, which on the evidence of this attendance, they could do with. A reader of Cricinfo's blogs has suggested that Vic Isaacs, the former scorer who is now banned from the ground, can overturn that given Eastleigh Council have taken over the head lease. Once he is over his operation, we'll keep a look out for him.

2.10pm: George Dobell at Warwickshire v Somerset

What a bizarre game this is. Jeetan Patel has just given himself room to drive – that’s a polite word for it – Trego for six over long on. Then Patel gave himself room to carve – again, a polite word for it – Philander for six over third man. Trego might, had he held his footing, have got to the ball. Warwickshire need 17; Somerset need two wickets.

1.05pm: George Dobell at Warwickshire v Somerset

Well, this has been a remarkable morning. While batting collapses are far from unusual, it is rare you see a side give it away as weakly as Warwickshire have at Edgbaston today.

This game was in their grasp. They needed 69 more to win with seven wickets in hand. Then, however, they lost five for 17 in 47 balls with just about every batsman playing a large part in their own downfall.

The last man to go – Keith Barker – trod on his own stumps as he tried to avoid a bouncer from Peter Trego. Trego has bowled very well, but he’s hardly Dale Steyn. County bowlers will take note: Barker is going to receive a lot of short bowling this summer.

Lunch has been delayed as Somerset now require just two wickets. Warwickshire require 48 more runs. Troughton still has a chance to redeem himself for ‘that’ drop, but the tide is flowing Somerset’s way now.

David Hopps rounds up the rest

Somebody asked me on Friday night who was the hard man in Yorkshire's new coaching set-up. "We know it isn't Martyn Moxon," he said, "it sure as hell isn't Jason Gillespie and I have never heard Paul Farbrace called a disciplinarian."

Perhaps we are about to find out. It is controversial enough to go deep into debt after allowing a teaching block to be built at Headingley, and calling it a pavilion, quite another thing altogether for it to be seemingly written into the small print that the Leeds-Bradford MCCU students have to be allowed to win a game or two to keep their spirits up.

This score is worth keeping an eye on.

Leeds/Bradford MCCU 211 & 189 Yorkshire 135 & 13/1 (4.4 ov) Yorkshire require another 253 runs with 9 wickets remaining

12.40pm: George Dobell at Warwickshire v Somerset

Now Rikki Clarke has gone. Warwickshire are seven down and need 55 more to win. Having done the hard work yesterday, they really are throwing this away.

That dropped catch by Troughton is looking more important by the moment. He can still redeem himself, though.

12.35pm: Ivo Tennant at Hampshire v Gloucestershire

Hamza Riazuddin is standing in the coffee queue in the atrium. He buys an unhealthy looking chocolate bar. A couple of old boys ask him how cold it is in the middle. "I can't operate in the cold," he says, which leaves them baffled as to how he managed to take three wickets. Hard to know whether he has a future at this level, but he has done well enough in this match.

12.30pm: George Dobell at Warwickshire v Somerset

Might we have another tense finish brewing at Edgbaston? Warwickshire have just lost three wickets in seven balls from Peter Trego. Porterfield has spoiled his excellent innings with a quite awful swipe across the line that ended in an outside edge. Before that Maddy went playing slightly across one from Trego and then Ambrose poked his first ball back to the bowler. It means Troughton – whose dropped catch yesterday may yet prove the vital moment – has the chance to redeem himself.

This pitch actually appears to have flattened out and ten of this Warwickshire line-up have first-class centuries to their name. But pressure does funny things… It’s anyone’s game.

12.05pm: Alex Winter at Middlesex v Surrey

What an amazing game of cricket! 46 to win this morning, Middlesex fired out three quick wickets. Then it looked like Hamilton-Brown and Lewis were ticking them off, Hamilton-Brown fell. Linley fell. Dernbach struck a four. And then tried to be another hero, hitting Murtagh straight up in the air and being caught at cover by Sam Robson – after brief confusion over who was going to take the catch.

That was so dramatic. You can’t help feeling the bad light last night disrupted the Surrey chase. Hamilton-Brown and Tom Maynard had fortune on their side yesterday but not today.

Such a turnaround from the quite mundane first couple of days here. And Surrey’s wait for a victory at Lord’s goes on...18 years and counting...

11.50am: George Dobell at Warwickshire v Somerset

Morning from Birmingham. Einstein famously once said that only a fool repeats the same action expecting a different reaction but Einstein, I suspect, never tried to log-on to the wi-fi at Edgbaston.

Anyway… quite a game we have here. Somerset have already broken the overnight stand of Westwood and Porterfield – the pair put on 102 – to offer the hint of another twist in this intriguing game. Westwood, padding up to a straight ball, departed lbw to Philander. Generally, though, the South African has been out bowled in this game by Warwickshire seamers Keith Barker And, in particular, Chris Wright.

Porterfield probably holds the key. He is 68 not out now, with Warwickshire requiring 99 more to win.

11.35am: Alex Winter at Middlesex v Surrey

As Sid Waddell might say, there couldn’t be more drama here if Elvis walked in and asked for a chip butty! Three wickets for as many runs have put the chase in jeopardy again. The Surrey skipper has to be the man here surely...the ball is wobbling in every direction and I don’t fancy the tail to get any at all.

When the seventh wicket fell at 104, Surrey needed another 37 with Rory Hamilton-Brown still at the crease.

11.30am: Ivo Tennant at Hampshire v Gloucestershire

Excellent finish in prospect - and, for once, the sun is shining on the south coast. Gloucestershire lead by 258, three wickets intact. There is still something in the pitch for the medium pacers, but run-stealing is still perfectly feasible. As Chris Dent and Simon Katich have shown.

9.30am: David Hopps sets up the day:

An FA Cup semi-final, a full Premier League programme, the Grand National and acres of coverage on the Olympics. The traditional media does not need much excuse to turn its back on county cricket and this weekend has been no different.

The solution, as many as you already know, is to look elsewhere. As well as County Cricket Live, with reporters at three of the games that will reach a conclusion today, ESPNcricinfo carries comprehensive match reports from five grounds yesterday, asserting once again a commitment to in-depth coverage of the game.

There are the matches that are building to a finish....

George Dobell at Warwickshire v Somerset on why Jim Troughton will be more anxious than most.

Alex Winter at Middlesex v Surrey offers a paean to Jon Lewis.

Ivo Tennant at Hampshire v Gloucestershire reveals more about Hamza Riazuddin.

.. a match that could be finished in a trice...

David Hopps wishes he had a woolly hat at Durham v Nottinghamshire

... and a jolt for the defending champions at Aigburth as Steve Magoffin announced himself in county cricket in emphatic style...

Graham Hardcastle holds back the tears at Lancashire v Sussex

We also have agency reports on the other games, including Glamorgan's startling collapse against Derbyshire. And, yes, to a sizeable number of Kent supporters who have been in touch, we will be taking a closer look at your excellent start to the Second Division campaign at Canterbury next week.