In the end, rain was the only winner - even though Durham will feel they should also have been victorious on day three of this round of County Championship games.

The runaway Division Two leaders need just four runs to beat Gloucestershire but, with the light already deemed unsafe for pace bowling towards the end of the visitors' second innings, they were unable to begin what you'd think should be a fairly swift chase.

In one way, though, the Durham crowd were the lucky ones, with not a ball bowled in six of the eight other fixtures.

Hampshire are doing their best to set Glamorgan a stiff target on the final day at Cardiff, while Leicestershire's openers gave their side a solid platform against Yorkshire at Scarborough before the weather intervened.

All of which means that we could see some intriguing cricket on the final day around the country - and very likely a few desperate gambles or contrived finishes.

Thanks for your company and all your messages on an unusual day. Mke sure you join us from 10:45 BST tomorrow as all the action unfolds - and let's hope the rain stays away!

Kevan James
BBC Radio Solent commentator

There wasn't enough play for Hampshire to really put any pressure on Glamorgan.

They lead by 125 here, it would've been nice had there been a bit more play and maybe get to 170, 180 lead at this stage.

And then if you get a decent chunk of play tomorrow that puts the hpme side under pressure.

But I think they'll walk in, look at the weather forecast, see they're only 125 runs behind, the conditions for batting don't seem quite as difficult as they did in the first innings. I don't think they'll feel under any pressure at all.

Division One

Warwickshire v Notts 299-7 - no play possible

Sussex 250 v Somerset 202 & 167-2 - no play possible

Yorkshire 263 v Leicestershire 84-0

Essex 279 v Surrey 183 & 51-4 - no play possible

Glamorgan 161 v Hampshire 162 & 124-2

Division Two

Durham 384 & 40-0 v Glos 137 & 250 - Durham require four runs on final day

Northants 74-0 v Kent 345 - no play possible

Worcs 12-1 v Lancs 180 - no play possible

Derbyshire 79-3 v Middlesex - no play possible

Dan Douthwaite fires down two bouncers followed by a full straight one but Toby Albert is having none of that set up.

He blocks, gets another bouncer than deals with the final two balls as the 43rd over of a stop-start day comes to a close.

Albert (17 from 68 balls) and Jake Lehmann (23 off 26) walk from the middle unbeaten.

In other circumstances and without a day four likely to be spoiled by a poor weather forecast, Hants would be fairly pleased with where they are.

A 125 run lead with eight wickets in tact would be a good position without any rain tomorrow but if they lose a lot of overs this is heading only one way.

Will a draw be enough for Hants to boost their chances of Division One survival. No. But is better than a loss with four games still to come? Absolutely.

Fingers crossed that the weather forecasters have got it wrong.

A single from Jake Lehmann and a single from Toby Albert from the penultimate over by Ben Kellaway.

Dan Douthwaite is going to bowl the last from the Cathedral Road End.

Kevan James
BBC Radio Solent commentator

That prospect (of little play on day four) doesn't really suit either side.

Hampshire really do need wins to try and haul themselves off the bottom of the table. They were 19 points behind third-from-bottom Surrey.

But also Glamorgan because it's all tight in that middle and top half of the table and a win here and you never know.

They would have looked at this fixture and would have fancied it, but the weather really just is spoiling, in the play that we've had, what has been a really good game.

Three off the over from Dan Douthwaite and two to come.

Asa Tribe is getting the pads on to field at leg slip as Ben Kellaway comes into the attack in a last throw of the dice by Kiran Carlson.

Five off the over from Mir Hamza and there are another three to come.

Hants' final four matches in this campaign are Warks (h), Notts (a), Leics (a) and Sussex (h). How many of those would they be favourite to win?

Two at a pinch. Probably one. But assuming they draw this match, as seems likely, you would think at least two will need to be wins if they are to avoid relegation.

Kevan James
BBC Radio Solent commentator

Even though he's coming around the wicket Hassan is still giving Lehmann a bit of width around off stump and Lehmann won't waste the opportunity.

You might get him out but he won't waste it.

Toby Albert finally breaks free with a lovely straight drive to long on as Zain ul-Hassan goes for nine. That's 19 in his last two.

Mir Hamza sends down a maiden but has Zain ul-Hassan to thank after an excellent stop from the all-rounder, diving at midwicket to stop a guaranteed four off Toby Albert.

Albert is nine from 54 balls and it is not really apparent what role he playing here.

Jake Lehmann is rattling along at a run a ball and Albert is stuck in a hole.

There are some very strong opinions about Gloucestershire potentially not agreeing to bowl spin in our comments. Not knowing the full details officially I'll steer clear of publishing them for now.

And there we are. Boos from some of the punters in the stands as it's confirmed that Durham will have to come back tomorrow to score those four runs for victory.

There might be a few among the home contingent praying fervently tonight for the rain to stay away.

Chris Cooke is standing up to the stumps to Zain ul-Hassan.

Jake Lehmann tries to wallop the first ball through the covers but the ball takes an inside edge on to his pad and drops down to safety.

Undeterred the stylish left-hander takes aim again and this time makes good contact to send the ball racing to the rope.

A run two takes the lead up to 100 before a mistimed drive brings a dot, a block another and a crafty late cut rolls unchecked to the third man boundary.

Not a great over from with 10 coming from it.

It's looking as though Durham might have to wait until tomorrow to wrap up this game, with the light deteriorating further.

The problem for umpires Steve O'Shaughnessy and James Tredwell is that, unless Gloucestershire agree to keep their faster bowlers out of the attack, they have already established that the conditions are unsafe for play.

But, with a paltry target of four required, you'd think Gloucestershire might be happy to head home tonight.

Timm van der Gugten is probing effectively with Jake Lehmann getting off strike first ball and Toby Albert blocking the final five.

He leaves the last ball which lifts slightly off the pitch and sails through to Chris Cooke behind the stumps.

Seven overs to come and Zain ul-Hassan will bowl the first of them.

Kevan James
BBC Radio Solent commentator

You get the feeling that Toby Albert wants to spend time in the middle and feel his way.

He's played a lot of white-ball cricket and just hasn't spent a lot of time in the middle in the Championship and it's been really hard for him this year.

You can't really expect him to blaze it around, it's different with the white ball game, T20, you'd go for it whether you were in form or not, but this is a totally different ball game and he's just looking for a method at the minute.

The forecast for tomorrow looks fairly grim with a 40 per cent chance of rain from 11am, 70 per cent from 12 and 90 per cent 1pm onwards.

Given that, and Hants lack of urgency in this last hour, you suspect they have settled for an 11-point draw.

They are 19 points from safety but four games left. Don't lose this seems to be the plan.

Durham will have to bat again after that remarkable knock by JT Langridge.

The left-hander, coming in at no 11, slammed 36 from 22 balls before holing out to long-on off Will Rhodes.

But his boundary earlier in the over took Gloucestershire out of the red - and it means the home side will have to come out and score four runs to seal victory.

Kevan James
BBC Radio Solent commentator

That's a superb delivery and Orr pushing forward, it's gone past the outside edge, it's caught the off stump.

A hard-fought innings for Ally Orr, two thirties for him in the game, but van der Gugten has once more produced a beauty.