Middlesex’s first century of the season courtesy of Sam Robson was not quite enough to secure victory after their LV= Insurance County Championship Division One match at home to Northamptonshire finished in a scores-level draw.
The top-flight’s bottom two served up a thriller as Robson’s 126 not out, sharing a fourth-wicket stand of 150 with John Simpson (75), saw the hosts close in on their 323 target.
Ten was required from the last over and three from the last ball but Robson could only scramble a two to the on-side and the draw did little for either struggling side’s prospects.
At the other end of the table leaders Surrey’s draw at home to Nottinghamshire was less dramatic with proceedings called to a halt with the visitors 118 for one in their pursuit of 297 in 52 overs.
Brett Hutton’s fifth five-wicket haul of the season was the highlight as the Nottinghamshire seamer took his Championship tally to 41, level with Durham’s Chris Rushworth at the top of the wicket-taking standings.
Leg-spinner Calvin Harrison chipped in with three for 99 to bowl out the hosts for 340 40 minutes after lunch but there was not enough time left in the day for either side to fashion a victory.
Essex moved into second place with a 46-run win at Lancashire as Rob Jones’ 111 proved in vain for the hosts, who were bowled out for 383 with 11 balls remaining in pursuit of what would have been the county’s record run-chase of 430 to win.
Luke Wells (75) and Josh Bohannon (68) contributed half-centuries after the visitors’ overnight declaration on 292 for eight but Matt Critchley and Doug Bracewell both claimed three wickets apiece.
Nick Gubbins’ four-hour defensive masterclass earned Hampshire an unlikely draw after they had slipped to 115 for seven still needing needing 55 to avoid an innings defeat against Somerset at Taunton.
Gubbins scored 50 not out off 241 balls and shared in a match-saving stand of 100 with Liam Dawson (68no) either side of tea, Hampshire closing on 215 for seven.
In Division Two, Derbyshire captain Leus du Plooy made a magnificent 128 but the bottom side came up 19 runs short as they came agonisingly close to chasing down a target of 380 in 58 overs against Sussex.
Du Plooy’s third hundred of the campaign makes him the division’s leading scorer with 979 runs but when he was caught in the deep Derbyshire still needed 54 from 41 balls, and when the eighth wicket fell with 11 balls remaining the hosts settled for the draw.
A total of 552 runs were scored in the day at Hove as 19-year-old James Coles was last out for a career-best 180 as Sussex declared 25 minutes after lunch on 384 for nine.
Yorkshire’s victory push was thwarted by the weather and Worcestershire’s third-wicket pair of Jake Libby (64no) and Gareth Roderick (34no) at New Road.
The home side began the day on 22 without loss in their second innings and had been reduced to 49 for two – still 116 runs short of avoiding an innings defeat – when play was halted for bad light and then rain.
Play resumed three hours later when the Libby and Roderick put on an unbroken stand of 110.
Rishi Patel scored his fourth century of the summer – a career-best 179 – but his Leicestershire side had to settle for a draw in a heavily-curtailed game of just two innings at Glamorgan.
Leicestershire, starting the day 28 for none, posted 451 for six in reply to their hosts’ 403 for nine.
