County Championship Division Two: Essex closing in on Derbyshire win
Monday 15 August 2016 19:38, UK
Specsavers County Championship Division Two table-toppers, Essex, edged closer to victory over Derbyshire, having reduced their County Ground hosts to 213-5 following on in their second innings, still trailing by 152 runs.
In response to Essex's monster first innings score of 530-9 declared, Derbyshire were dismissed for 165 early on day three - Graham Napier starring with 4-28.
The going wasn't quite so easy second time around as Billy Godleman (100) struck a century for Derbyshire, before Napier (2-28) again proved to be the difference maker, trapping the left-handed opener lbw.
Sussex are also set to earn just their second win of the season - having drawn their nine other matches - with just two further Gloucestershire wickets left to take on day four at Hove.
Gloucestershire closed on 149-8, still trailing by 11 runs, after Sussex smashed 527 in their first innings, in response to the visitors' 367.
Ben Brown (113) followed up Luke Wells' third-day century with one of his own on the fourth, while England's Chris Jordan (52) also struck fifty.
Jordan followed up that impressive effort with the bat, with an equally impressive 4-32 with the ball to take Sussex to the verge of victory.
Worcestershire are favourites to force a win over Glamorgan heading into the final day's play at New Road, having reduced the visitors to 16-1 in pursuit of their 277-run target.
Worcestershire, trailing by 117 runs after the first innings, made amends in their second, with Joe Clarke's 98 the standout knock in a score of 393.
Joe Leach (1-9) then removed opener Nicholas Selman for a duck in the first over of Glamorgan's second innings; the visitors ultimately closing on 16-1.
Rob Newton struck a double hundred for Northamptonshire on day three of their clash with Leicestershire.
Newton's unbeaten 202 included 29 boundaries, but Northants failed to pass Leicestershire's mammoth 519-run first innings score, declaring on 397-7.
The positive declaration was in the hope of moving the game forward, but heading into the final day the draw seems most likely, with Leicestershire 49-0 after 15 overs of their second innings.
