Summary

  • Day four of six Championship matches

  • Title-chasing Somerset beat Essex by eight wickets

  • Leicestershire beat Glamorgan by 42 runs; Yorkshire edge past Hampshire by 39 runs

  • Promotion-chasing Kent see off Middlesex by 46 runs; Northants hammer Lancashire by 316 runs

  • Worcs well set in pursuit of 279 to beat Glos

  • Choose a radio commentary using the 'Watch and Listen' tab

  • Wins on Saturday for Notts, Warwicks and Durham

Send us your county cricket views

  1. get involved

    Get Involvedpublished at 16:12 BST

    #bbccricket

    If Worcestershire are successful in their run chase against Gloucestershire, every match in this round of games will finish with a positive result. Surely this is a good advert for the County Championship with no forgone conclusion draws, where the captains shake hands long before the scheduled close of play.

    Ian, Doncaster

    It took a while to get going with the rain on Thursday, but since then the cricket has been good and matches have ebbed and flowed really nicely.

    Hopefully the weather can hold for the next month and we can have an exciting climax in both divisions.

  2. Postpublished at 16:09 BST

    Glos v Worcs 112-0 - target 279

    We've resumed after tea for the final stages of the Cheltenham Festival.

    Worcestershire look on course for victory but still have work to do.

    They've started the session with a series of singles as Dan Lategan and Jake Libby continue their partnership.

  3. get involved

    Get Involved - Team of the weekpublished at 15:58 BST

    #bbccricket

    With just one match still ongoing from this round of matches, it's time for some suggestions for our team of the week.

    We will reveal all as the final session goes on.

  4. get involved

    Get Involvedpublished at 15:51 BST

    #bbccricket

    Re : Hampshire vs Yorks - never in doubt - oh ye of little faith!

    Martin Sterry, Hinckley

  5. Teatime scorecardspublished at 15:46 BST

    #bbccricket

    Division One

    • Utilita Bowl: Hampshire 197 & 238 v Yorkshire 173 & 301 - Yorkshire win by 39 runs
    • Leicester: Leicestershire 151 & 257 v Glamorgan 152 & 214 - Leicestershire win by 42 runs
    • Taunton: Somerset 469 & 103-2 v Essex 158 & 412 - Somerset win by eight wickets

    Division Two

    • Cheltenham: Gloucestershire 150 & 395-7 dec v Worcestershire 267 & 110-0 - Worcestershire need 169 to win
    • Old Trafford: Lancashire 137 & 129 v Northamptonshire 284 & 298-4 dec - Northants win by 316 runs
    • Northwood: Middlesex 249 & 309 v Kent 350 & 254 - Kent win by 46 runs
  6. Tea at Cheltenhampublished at 15:44 BST

    Glos v Worcs 110-0 - target 279

    Gloucestershire may have mis-read this pitch when declaring to give Worcestershire 60 overs to score 279.

    The Cheltenham pitch is taking some turn on the final day of the festival but probably not as much as the home captain Cameron Bancroft will have hoped for.

    Dan Lategan and Jake Libby are taking full advantage of the opportunity and things will have to change dramatically after tea if Worcestershire are to be prevented from claiming their fourth win of the season.

  7. SOMERSET BEAT ESSEX BY EIGHT WICKETSpublished at 15:42 BST
    Breaking

    Somerset 469 & 103-2 v Essex 158 & 412

    Tom LammonbyImage source, Getty Images

    Somerset regain second place in Division One as Tom Lammonby drives Simon Harmer for four to secure their fourth win of the season.

    It only takes them 19.2 overs to reach their target, with Lammonby finishing 39 not out - and they will start Thursday's away game against Sussex just two points behind leaders Nottinghamshire.

    Essex offered determined resistance in their second innings, despite a turning pitch, but Jack Leach took 5-81 to finish with nine wickets in the game.

    Lammonby and Josh Thomas (31) launched the 'chase' with a stand of 59, but two wickets for Harmer were only a consolation for Essex, whose fourth defeat is a major blow to their own title ambitions.

  8. Postpublished at 15:37 BST

    Somerset 95-2 v Essex - target 102

    Leg-side wide from Simon Harmer but it spins sharply after pitching, beats keeper Michael Pepper and runs away to the boundary. Almost done and dusted here.

  9. dropped catch

    Dropped catchpublished at 15:34 BST

    Somerset 88-2 v Essex - target 102

    Tom Lammonby swings Tom Westley to square leg where Shane Snater is stationed to take the catch - but he makes a total hash of it and the ball runs away for four runs. Lammonby is 32 not out.

  10. 100 up for Worcestershirepublished at 15:32 BST

    Glos v Worcs 102-0 - target 279

    Still some way to go but at the moment this is looking too easy for Worcestershire on a pitch which seems to have flattened out significantly since the first two days.

    Dan Lategan is continuing to prosper and hits three fours in an over off Aman Rao.

    Jake Libby is ticking along nicely and despatches a long hop from Ollie Price to the boundary to complete the century partnership.

  11. Postpublished at 15:31 BST

    Somerset 82-2 v Essex - target 102

    Looks like Essex fear the game is up.

    Skipper Tom Westley brings himself on to bowl his occasional off-spin.

  12. YORKS BEAT HANTS BY 39 RUNSpublished at 15:28 BST

    Jack b Lyth 3 (Hants 197 & 238 v Yorks 173 & 301)

    Adam Lyth takes the last wicket and Hants hopes disappear in a puff of smoke.

    Eddie Jack had lived a little dangerously with a couple of edges past his stumps in the previous over but he drags this on from way outside off-stump to bring proceedings to an end.

    It ended in a flurry really and it was the slog sweep off Dom Bess by Andrew Neal that finally proved the tipping point, Sam Whiteman taking the catch on the midwicket rope.

    From there it took just 17 deliveries for the end to come.

    It is a crucial victory for Yorkshire (19 points) who pull away from the relegation zone, but a poor one for Hants (3pts) who miss out again.

  13. Postpublished at 15:27 BST

    Somerset 80-2 v Essex - target 102

    Tom Lammonby misses out on a full toss and he attempts a reverse lap.

    A pull to deep square does, though, bring him a single and Henry Nicholls then lifts the spinner over mid-on for four.

  14. wicket

    WICKETpublished at 15:23 BST

    Abbott lbw b Bess 22 (Hants 238-9 v Yorks - Target 278)

    Dom Bess sinks to the ground after a second inside edge in consecutive balls sneaks past Eddie Jack's stumps but the Yorks spinner has Kyle Abbott next ball.

    That is a five-for for Bess who has 5-103 and surely this is Yorks' game again now.

  15. Postpublished at 15:21 BST

    Somerset 74-2 v Essex - target 102

    Five dot balls from Matt Critchley, then Henry Nicholls is down the pitch to drive powerfully through mid-off for four runs. Classy shot.

  16. Postpublished at 15:19 BST

    Somerset 70-2 v Essex - target 102

    Simon Harmer turns an absolute beauty past the outside edge of Henry Nicholls' bat - but the left-hander cuts the next one away and adds three to the Somerset score.

  17. Postpublished at 15:18 BST

    Hants 235-8 v Yorks - Target 278

    Two big appeals to umpire Jack Shantry from Adam Lyth, the first judged to be hitting outside the line on Kyle Abbott's pad and the second hitting way outside the line.

    The first one was close and turned a lot. The second one not so, but still turned a fair amount. A maiden over from Lyth.

  18. 50 runs

    50 for Dan Lateganpublished at 15:16 BST

    Glos v Worcs 78-0 - target 279

    Dan Lategan launches his third six off Indian spinner Sai Kishore over mid-wicket for his biggest shot so far.

    It brings up a half-century in 48 balls. It's the South African's fourth first-class 50.

    The 20-year-old, who is expected to became English-qualified next season, has yet to convert any to a century.

  19. Postpublished at 15:16 BST

    Hants 235-8 v Yorks - Target 278

    Dom Bess has put in a shift and deserved that wicket having already taken it once.

    His 45 overs have yielded 4-100.

  20. wicket

    WICKETpublished at 15:15 BST

    Goldsworthy c Snater b Harmer 6 (Somerset 65-2 v Essex - target 102)

    Simon HarmerImage source, Getty Images

    Lewis Goldsworthy tries to hoist Simon Harmerover mid-wicket at the start of a new over but doesn't get hold of it at all and that is an easy catch for Shane Snater.

    New Zealander Henry Nicholls is the new batter - a tense situation to end his debut appearance for Somerset.