Saturday 27 August 2016 12:11, UK
A valiant century from Hamish Marshall could not save Gloucestershire from a heavy defeat on the final day of the Specsavers County Championship match with Kent at Bristol.
Unbeaten on 11 in a total of 34-4 overnight, the experienced Kiwi batsman went on to make 118 as his side at least went down with a fight.
They were eventually bowled out for 243 as Kent secured victory by an innings and 69 runs. The visitors took 24 points from the game to close the gap on Essex at the top of the table. Their hosts, beaten for a third successive Championship game, received just two points.
South African seamer Hardus Viljoen took two of the last-day wickets to fall, for match figures of 8-121 on his Kent debut, while Darren Stevens finished with 3-47 and five wickets in the game.
Worcestershire kept alive their faint hopes of promotion with a two-wicket win over Northamptonshire after declarations by both teams at New Road.
The hosts had one of the available 80 overs to spare as they passed their victory target of 401 - their highest successful run-chase in a home fixture - thanks largely to centuries from Daryl Mitchell and Joe Clarke. Mitchell made 103, hot on the heels of his first-innings 107 not out, while Clarke contributed 125.
Both batsmen were out in a burst of three wickets in five deliveries by Ben Sanderson, but Ross Whiteley dipped into his one-day repertoire with four sixes in a 30-ball 45 and Ben Cox made 34 in their nine-over stand of 78.
The game swayed again with two wickets in three balls, but Joe Leach got his side over the line from the last delivery of the 79th over. The vice-captain reached an unbeaten 33 with a match-winning six off Sanderson, restoring confidence ahead of a must-win game against leaders Essex at Chelmsford, starting next Wednesday.
Sussex also claimed a two-wicket victory in the final overs after being set 233 to win by Glamorgan at Cardiff.
Chris Nash's 64 at the top of the order set Sussex on their way and, despite slumping to 156-7 as Glamorgan seamer Timm van der Gugten (5-73) threatened to turn things round, Ben Brown (42 not out) and Danny Briggs (36) saw them home.
