County Championship Division Two: Essex top after win over Kent

An unbeaten 166 from Kent skipper Sam Northeast was not enough to prevent his side falling to a 10-wicket defeat at Essex in Specsavers County Championship Division Two.

Resuming on 252-7, still trailing by 110 runs, Kent started the day well with Northeast and James Tredwell continuing their fine eighth-wicket partnership.

Tredwell went to his century but when he fell to Matthew Quinn (4-60) for 124, his highest first class score, Kent - despite the 222-run stand for the eighth wicket - were still 12 runs short of Essex's first innings total.

Quinn quickly mopped up the tail and Nick Browne (8no) and Alastair Cook (1no) knocked off the nine runs Essex required to win within 1.4 overs, returning to the top of the table in the process.

Meanwhile, Worcestershire beat Leicestershire by three wickets in a thrilling finish to the match at New Road.

Having been set a total of 366 to win with less than a day's play remaining, many sides would have opted to bat out for a draw, but led by a magnificent century from Joe Clarke (123) and some big-hitting from Joe Leach (64no), Worcestershire got over the line just before the scheduled close.

The day began with Leicestershire 172-2 in their second innings and Paul Horton (117no) and Mark Cosgrove already having passed 50. The pair attacked from the off in the morning session, each reaching their centuries and the declaration came when Cosgrove was eventually dismissed for 146.

By that time Leicestershire had added 137 in 19 overs to reach 307-3 and set Worcestershire a mammoth victory target.

That total seemed a long way off as they were reduced to 73-4 but a 142-run stand between Clarke and Ross Whitely (71) got them back on track before Leach and Ed Barnard finished the job with time running out.

A wet outfield meant that, for the third day running, no play was possible in the game between Derbyshire and Northamptonshire at Chesterfield, with the decision made to abandon the match without a ball being bowled.

It is the hosts' first washout in a County Championship game for 35 years.