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County Championship Division Two: Lancashire close on promotion

Glamorgan batsman Jacques Rudolph
Image: Jacques Rudolph frustrated Lancashire with fine defensive knock

Lancashire need only five more points to clinch promotion from LV= County Championship Division Two after taking 11 points from their drawn game against Glamorgan at Old Trafford.

When Colin Ingram was caught behind off James Faulkner 20 minutes after lunch Glamorgan were 45-2 in their second innings, having been asked to follow on 249 runs behind, with a minimum of 56 overs left in the day.

But the visitors then offered some stubborn resistance with skipper Jacques Rudolph leading the way as he made 63 off 206 balls in 244 minutes before he was leg before to Steven Croft just before the last hour.

The South African was well supported by Chris Cooke who was undefeated on 41 from 160 deliveries when the players shook hands at 5.20 with Glamorgan on 159-3 and nine overs still available to Lancashire.

Accompanying Cooke at the close was David Lloyd, who was 20 not out and had helped his fourth-wicket partner see off the new ball which had been taken with only 11 overs left in the match.

Lancashire's draw leaves them 10 points ahead of Surrey at the top of the table, with each side having three games left to play, while Glamorgan are 58 points further back in third place.

Surrey also had to be content with 11 points when their match with Gloucestershire at Bristol was abandoned as a draw without a ball bowled on the final day.

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Bristol: Gloucestershire v Surrey covers
Image: Rain was the winner at Bristol

Umpires Russell Evans and Graham Lloyd took the decision at lunchtime after heavy rain had fallen during the night and throughout the morning.

Surrey were due to resume on 349-6 in their first innings, leading by 116, with Ben Foakes unbeaten on 140, and strongly placed to force a victory.

Gloucestershire took eight points, despite being largely outplayed during a match in which less than 170 overs were bowled, none being possible on the last two days.

Heavy rain on the final day at Wantage Road ruined Leicestershire's pursuit of back-to-back County Championship victories for the first time since 2010.

The visitors, having been set a victory target of 116 after bowling Northamptonshire out for 162, were left stranded on 30-1 as only 45 minutes of play was possible on the final day due to the weather.

Leicestershire's hopes were raised when play began on time and, needing one more wicket to end the Northamptonshire second innings with Steven Crook unable to bat, Clint McKay struck second ball to have Ben Sanderson lbw.

It left Leicestershire within sight of victory and they got off to the perfect start in their run chase with a boundary first ball.

They lost Angus Robson lbw to Rory Kleinveldt for 10 but Niall O'Brien was promoted to No 3 and struck a glorious back foot drive for four.

However, he had only made five and Lewis Hill 11 when the rain arrived after just 6.4 overs of the chase, and that proved to be the last action of the match as play was abandoned at 4pm.

Leicestershire take 12 points from the game and remain bottom of Division Two, while Northants' 11 points moves them up to fourth in the table.

Rain also robbed spectators at Derby of a potentially exciting finish as the match between Derbyshire and Kent also ended as a draw.

Both sides had victory in their sights as Kent, set 329 to win, reached 231-5 at tea but rain during the interval prevented play resuming.

Captain Sam Northeast (76), Rob Key (67) and Ben Harmison (50) gave Kent hope but, with all three out, Derbyshire would also have had sensed an opportunity in the final session.

Kent's chances had looked slim at the start of the day when Derbyshire struck twice in five balls to reduce the visitors to 34-2.

Ben Cotton found some late movement with the 10th ball of the morning to defeat Daniel Bell-Drummond's (19) defence and knock out his off stump but Joe Denly (one) was guilty of a reckless shot when he edged a big drive at Mark Footitt.

It has been a lean season by Key's standards but he passed the milestone of 19,000 first-class runs on the way to a 50 which he reached when he forced Cotton through the covers for his ninth four.

Derbyshire's bowling options were reduced with Shiv Thakor (concussion) and Alex Hughes (hand) off the field but they broke through 10 overs into the afternoon when Tony Palladino had Key lbw for 67 to end a third-wicket stand of 105 in 36 overs.

Northeast and Harmison kept Kent on track with Northeast cutting Cotton for his eighth four to reach his first 50 in 12 championship innings before driving leg-spinner Matt Critchley for six.

The target had been reduced to 118 when Footitt tempted Northeast (76) into a pull which he gloved behind and the game swung back to Derbyshire in the last over before tea.

Harmison (50) had taken three fours from Chesney Hughes's left-arm spin but went for another drive at the penultimate ball of the session and was caught at slip.

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