Scores and round-up from day four of the final round of Specsavers County Championship games.
County Championship scores (September 25-28)
Division One
- County Ground, Chelmsford: Essex (227 & 334-7) beat Yorkshire (111 & 74) by 376 runs
- Old Trafford: Lancashire (268 & 179-3) beat Surrey (201-8 & 242) by seven wickets
- County Ground, Taunton: Somerset (236 & 250-9) beat Middlesex (142 & 113) by 231 runs
- Edgbaston: Hampshire (116 & 195-7) and Warwickshire (188 & 186) drew
Division Two
- County Ground, Bristol: Derbyshire (460 & 144-0) beat Gloucestershire (224-2d & 223) by 157 runs
- St Lawrence Ground: Glamorgan (229 & 192-5) beat Kent (302 & 115) by five wickets
- Grace Road: Northamptonshire (202 & 197-4) beat Leicestershire (128 & 270) by six wickets
- 1st Central County Ground, Hove: Sussex (565 & 229-7d) and Nottinghamshire (477) drew
- New Road: Worcestershire (335 & 242-3d) beat Durham (208 & 232) by 137 runs
Thursday round-up
Last season's champions Middlesex have been relegated from Specsavers County Championship Division One after Hampshire held on for a draw against Warwickshire.
Middlesex were left crossing their fingers after losing their relegation clash with Somerset by 231 runs at Taunton.
That guaranteed Somerset's survival but meant a win or a draw for Hampshire would be enough to secure their safety and send Middlesex down.
And the visitors did what they needed to at Edgbaston despite a nervy finish, batting out the overs to finish their second innings on 195 for seven.
Hampshire had been set a target of 259 for victory but survival was the priority.
They were in trouble when Liam Dawson fell for nine to leave Hampshire 124 for six with more than 20 overs still remaining.
But Ian Holland dug in for a gritty 21 not out from 124 deliveries and Gareth Berg contributed 34 from 79 to guide them towards the safety line.
Earlier, Middlesex's miserable season was complete when they were bowled out for just 113 in their second innings.
Lancashire clinched second place behind champions Essex after knocking off the 44 runs they required for a seven-wicket victory over Surrey.
Chasing their victory target of 176, Lancashire resumed their innings on 132 for three with Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Liam Livingstone at the crease.
It took less than six overs for the pair to get the necessary runs; Chanderpaul finishing unbeaten on 43 from 44 balls while Livingstone made 69.
In Division Two, Nottinghamshire joined Worcestershire in gaining promotion to the top flight courtesy of their draw with Sussex at Hove.
With more than 60 overs lost to rain and bad light during the first three days, the chances of a positive result dwindled when there was no play before lunch because of a wet outfield.
Sussex captain Luke Wells, the leading run-scorer in the division, managed a final century of the season, his 103 the highlight of the hosts' second-innings total of 229 for seven.
Nottinghamshire's result meant Northamptonshire missed out on promotion by five points despite beating Leicestershire.
A wet outfield meant a delayed start to the final day but Luke Procter's 94 helped the visitors reach their target of 197 with six wickets remaining.
Worcestershire secured promotion on Wednesday but their 137-run win over Durham ensured they finished the season as champions.
It was a first Championship win over their opponents for 14 years and a ninth win in 14 matches for Worcestershire.
Durham were set a target of 370 in 76 overs but were bowled out for 232 as Indian star Ravichandran Ashwin capped his spell at New Road by finishing with five for 95.
Derbyshire finished their season on a high, beating Gloucestershire by 157 runs in Bristol.
Imran Tahir picked up five wickets and Matt Critchley and Harry Podmore two apiece as the visitors completed victory with more than 21 overs to spare after Gloucestershire had made a game of it by declaring on their overnight score of 224 for two.
Wednesday round-up
Essex celebrated their Specsavers County Championship title in style by beating Yorkshire by 376 runs with a day to spare in Chelmsford.
Young fast bowler Sam Cook took five for 20 to help skittle Yorkshire for 74 in their second innings as the champions finished the season unbeaten.
Essex's 10th win in 14 Championship fixtures was followed by post-match champagne as they received the trophy for the first time in 25 years.
Yorkshire secured their Division One safety on day one, but their total was their lowest since 1999 as they succumbed in just 29 second-innings overs.
Somerset's charge towards Division One safety was halted by rain in their relegation clash with Middlesex at Taunton.
The visitors had struggled to 40 for three in their second innings, chasing an unlikely target of 345.
Earlier, James Hildreth completed his 41st first-class century as Somerset extended their second innings to 250 for nine before skipper Tom Abell declared.
With the forecast for Thursday dry, Somerset will hope to secure the win that keeps them in the top flight.
If Somerset prevail, Hampshire need to avoid defeat to stay up and they face a tense final day after closing on 20 for one at Edgbaston, needing 259 to beat Warwickshire.
Win or draw against the already-relegated Warwickshire and Somerset will secure Division One status, but defeat will mean they will join their hosts in Division Two.
Liam Livingstone took six wickets and notched a half-century as Lancashire closed in on victory in their clash with Surrey at Old Trafford.
Surrey collapsed from 154 for none to 242 all out to leave Lancashire with a victory target of 176.
After bad light stopped play Lancashire will resume on 132 for three in their bid to finish second in the table.
Surrey batsman Kumar Sangakkara, playing in his last first-class game, received a guard of honour from Lancashire's players on his arrival and finished unbeaten on 35.
Worcestershire secured promotion to Division One on the third day of their encounter with Durham at New Road.
Worcestershire bowled out Durham for 208 after claiming their final five wickets on Wednesday morning to wrap up the six bonus points required before the game.
Promotion was sealed 70 miles away when one of their rivals, Northamptonshire, were bowled out for 202 against Leicestershire at Grace Road, meaning they were unable to accumulate the same points tally as Worcestershire.
Worcestershire, who will also go up as champions if they avoid defeat on the final day and Nottinghamshire do not overcome Sussex at Hove, closed on 157 for three in their second innings for a lead of 284.
Nottinghamshire were bowled out for 447 chasing Sussex's imposing first innings total of 565 and will resume 88 runs behind knowing a draw would be enough to guarantee an immediate return to Division One.
Northants, the side that could benefit from a Notts defeat, reached 17 without loss in their second innings after being set a victory target of 197 by Leicestershire, who were all out for 270.
Glamorgan ended a forgettable campaign with a five-wicket victory over Kent inside three days at Canterbury.
Michael Hogan's six for 43 helped skittle Kent for a paltry 115 in their second innings and that left Glamorgan with a victory target of 189, a total they overhauled thanks in the main to opener Nick Selman's 70.
In Bristol, Gloucestershire trail Derbyshire by 236 runs with eight second-innings wickets remaining after closing on 242 for two.
Tuesday round-up
Somerset look like staving off relegation from Division One of the Specsavers County Championship having built up a lead of over 250 after two days against Middlesex.
Having prevented their opponents from reaching 250 in their first innings, Somerset now know a victory will ensure they stay up, and they will begin the third day 159 for three, a lead of 253, in their second innings.
They were indebted to the bowling of Craig Overton (three for seven) and Jack Leach (four for 54) as a Middlesex side that had slunk to 22 for five missed out on the chance to claim the bonus points which would have ensured they finished ahead of Somerset whatever the result.
James Hildreth, on 82, and skipper Tom Abell return on Wednesday to resume a fourth-wicket partnership already worth 100.
It therefore looks like Middlesex, champions last season, now need help from elsewhere to avoid the drop.
Were they to lose their final contest, they would need already-relegated Warwickshire to beat Hampshire in a contest that remains very much in the balance at Edgbaston.
Twenty wickets fell in Birmingham following Monday's wash-out as the hosts were dismissed for 188 before skittling Hampshire out for 116 to claim a 72-run lead.
Visiting skipper George Bailey (55) was the only Hampshire player to score more than 16 after Dominic Sibley had posted 92 in a Warwickshire innings where Fidel Edwards claimed five for 49.
Champions Essex look set to finish the season unbeaten as they strengthened their position against Yorkshire, whom they are 250 runs ahead of with eight second-innings wickets in hand.
Replying to Essex's 227, the White Rose could only make 111, with Jamie Porter, Simon Harmer and Neil Wagner all taking three wickets apiece.
Nick Browne and Dan Lawrence then made unbeaten half-centuries as Essex closed their second innings on 134 for two.
In the other top-flight match, Lancashire skipper Steven Croft posted his first century in over a year in their 268, with Surrey 12 runs ahead having made 79 without loss in their second innings.
In Division Two, Worcestershire moved to the brink of promotion against Durham.
Some lower-order batting resistance, typified by Ravichandran Ashwin's 82 and Ed Barnard's 75, took Worcestershire to 335 and earned them half of the points needed to ensure a top-two finish.
The bowlers then followed that up by reducing Durham to 142 for five inside 39 overs. To go up, they just need to make sure Durham are nine down in 110 overs.
They probably do not need that part of the equation as Northamptonshire failing to reaching 350 against Leicestershire - they are 199 for eight - would also send Worcestershire up.
Northants had reduced their hosts to 128, with Ben Sanderson and Richard Gleeson both claiming five-fors, but with minimal batting bonus points likely heading their way, they will be keeping an eye on events at Sussex.
That is where promotion hopefuls Nottinghamshire are struggling, 457 runs in arrears and five first-innings wickets down. Sussex posted 565, Chris Jordan and Michael Burgess making respective career-best first class totals of 147 and 146, with Notts only 108 for five in reply.
Elsewhere, 15 wickets fell on day two at Canterbury, where Kent (302 and 98 for six) lead Glamorgan (229) by 171, while Alex Hughes' 142 underpinned Derbyshire's 460, with Gloucestershire 47 for one in their response.
Monday round-up
Somerset kept their Specsavers County Championship survival hopes intact despite Middlesex spinner Ravi Patel claiming a career-best seven for 81 on an action-packed first day at Taunton.
The hosts have to win to stand any chance of avoiding the drop - with their opponents one of two sides who could now be relegated instead should they succeed.
From a promising 193 for four, Somerset crashed to 236 all out, but Craig Overton and Jack Leach then reduced Middlesex to 18 for three to leave the match finely poised.
Ed Byrom top-scored with 56, his maiden Championship half-century, before Patel took advantage of a dry, turning pitch.
Steven Patterson and Jack Brooks took three Essex wickets each to help Yorkshire secure their Division One place for another year.
Yorkshire started the day knowing a six-point swing with Somerset would finally allay any lingering fears they had of joining Warwickshire in Division Two next season.
When Somerset were bowled out having missed out on four batting points, coupled with the second of their three bowling points at Chelmsford, Yorkshire could breathe a sigh of relief.
Simon Harmer top-scored with 64 as champions Essex were bowled out for 227.
Hampshire are still not safe after play was washed out at Edgbaston, frustrating them in their bid to land some valuable bonus points against Warwickshire.
In the battle for second, Sam Curran hit an unbeaten half-century before Surrey declared on 201 for eight, with Lancashire 17 without loss in reply at stumps.
In Division Two, Worcestershire, Nottinghamshire and Northamptonshire are vying for the two promotion places but all saw their efforts hampered by weather on day one.
Northants, who began the day 13 points behind Notts and 19 adrift of leaders Worcestershire, need a win to go up but were unable to take to the field against Leicestershire as a wet outfield prevented any play at Grace Road.
Worcestershire reached 90 for three from the 26 overs possible against Durham, with Joe Clarke unbeaten on a run-a-ball 46.
Nottinghamshire appeared well placed to secure an instant return to the top flight when three Steven Mullaney wickets reduced Sussex to 107 for five at Hove, but unbeaten fifties from Delray Rawlins and Michael Burgess saw the hosts reach 230 for five before bad light intervened.
Elsewhere, Glamorgan are 18 for one after a Joe Denly century lifted Kent to 302 all out and Derbyshire are 104 for two against Gloucestershire.
