Tanya Aldred's roundup
Rain spilled over the country, like a badly kept secret. But it wasn’t enough to stop games fizzing into life in the Championship’s penultimate round.
Leicestershire, powered by victory in the One-Day Cup, and needing a win to stay in the promotion hunt, reduced Yorkshire to 155 for 9 at Grace Road, with four wickets to Will Davis. Finlay Bean top-scored with 40, passing 1,000 runs for the season in the process.
Worcestershire, their rivals for promotion, made a bright start against Durham, though not as explosive as the unexploded second world war shell discovered in the nearby River Severn. Jake Libby, lucky to survive a run-out appeal, also passed 1,000 runs – for the second time in three seasons.
A thousand runs too for Tom Westley (50), but the Chelmsford plaudits went to Adam Rossington, who at last wrestled off a difficult season with a hundred to put Essex in a good position against Hampshire.
Essex are chasing Division One leaders Surrey, who reduced battling Northamptonshire to 171 for six, with a second consecutive half-century for Karun Nair.
Middlesex, fired out for 121, largely by Olly Hannon-Dalby, were given life by Tim Murtagh, in his last appearance at Lord’s, who worried Warwickshire with three for 17. Tom Lammonby made his first hundred of the season, for Somerset against struggling Kent at Taunton.
Updated
With the New Road groundstaff battling the wind, time for me to leave. Thanks for sticking with us on a wet, but fast-moving day. Till tomorrow, good night!
