Middlesex, Yorkshire and Somerset could all still win the County Championship with one round left to play.
Friday 16 September 2016 09:57, UK
Middlesex were forced to settle for a draw against Lancashire as they edged closer to a first County Championship title in 23 years.
The result means Middlesex head into the final game of the season with second-placed Yorkshire, live on Sky Sports from Tuesday, nine points clear at the top of Specsavers County Championship Division One with Somerset in third only a point further back, while Lancashire have extended the gap to Hampshire and the final relegation place to 14 points.
Having been set an unlikely 309 to win in less than two sessions, Lancashire were 80-1 when the players shook hands on a draw in the evening session.
Middlesex began the day on 72-4 at Old Trafford and after a cautious start, Dawid Malan (87) and John Simpson (74) looked to push things on shortly before lunch.
Malan was eventually caught behind off the bowling of Simon Kerrigan, the left-arm spinner taking 6-86 to finish with 10 wickets in the match, while Simpson was bowled by Luke Procter before Middlesex declared on 240-8.
Jos Buttler was sent in to open as Ashley Giles' side eyed a highly improbably victory but after the England wicketkeeper-batsman was dismissed for 26 off 14 balls, first-innings centurion Rob Jones (25no) and England hopeful Haseeb Hameed (25no) batted steadily through to the close.
Elsewhere, Ben Stokes starred as Durham ensured they will be playing Division One cricket next summer with a hard-fought 21-run victory over Surrey.
The hosts were eventually bowled out for 246 having started the day on 213-8, setting Surrey 281 to win.
That total appeared a long way off when Mark Wood picked up the wickets of Dominic Sibley and Kumar Sangakkara in his first two overs before Graham Onions dismissed Rory Burns soon after, to leave Surrey 11-3.
Zafar Ansari (51) and Jason Roy then put on 143 for the fourth wicket before the former was trapped lbw by Scott Borthwick. Roy remained but eventually fell just four short of his hundred, caught behind off Stokes.
Sam Curran and Ben Foakes kept the score ticking over as Surrey moved to within sight of the victory target but two wickets in an over from Stokes changed the complexion of the game.
Gareth Batty joined Curran in the middle but after Stokes (4-54) had him caught by Keaton Jennings, with just 29 needed for victory, Durham were ruthless.
Curran (50no) was able to reach his half-century but could only watch from the non-strikers' end as Onions removed Stuart Meaker and Mark Footitt to wrap up the innings.
