County Championship: Yorkshire need nine wickets to beat Lancashire

Yorkshire need nine wickets on the final day at Headingley to beat Lancashire in the first Roses match of the season in Specsavers County Championship Division One .

Needing 349 to win, Lancashire were 41-1 when bad light stopped play - opener Tom Smith the only wicket to fall.

Beginning day three on 77-3, Yorkshire were soon reduced to 89-6 as Neil Wagner (4-71) removed Adam Lyth (48) and Andrew Gale (7), with Tom Smith having Steven Patterson caught behind in between.

However, as in the first innings, Yorkshire's lower order stepped up and frustrated Lancashire once more. Liam Plunkett top-scored with 57 while Adil Rashid and Tim Bresnan chipped in with 34 and 29, respectively, to enable the hosts to reach 236 before they were bowled out.

Nottinghamshire and Durham were forced to settle for a draw at Trent Bridge as rain brought the final day to a premature close.

The hosts started day four on 100-1 and had advanced to 289-5, a lead of 376, before the heavens opened and curtailed the game.

In that time, Brendan Taylor was able to go to his century, his second of the match, as he finished unbeaten on 105, while Michael Lumb made 52 before falling to Scott Borthwick.

The Durham all-rounder, who hit 188 not out in Durham's innings, picked up 3-73 in his 17 overs.

Hampshire's hopes of avoiding defeat at Middlesex were given a helping hand by the weather with no play possible before tea on day three.

The visitors resumed on 62-3, following on, when play finally was able to begin but lost Liam Dawson (23) soon afterwards, Tim Murtagh (2-17) with the wicket.

They did though manage to reach 100-4, still trailing by 236 runs, before bad light stopped play with Jimmy Adams 47 not out, although it would still require a phenomenal effort to salvage a draw on the final day if rain does not intervene.