County Championship Division Two: Essex and Kent cruise to victory

Essex secured a crushing innings and 161-run victory over Worcestershire at Chelmsford to strengthen their hopes of promotion from Specsavers County Championship Division Two.

Graham Napier (5-59) grabbed his fourth five-wicket haul of the season to lead the hosts to a three-day success in what had been billed a top-of-the-table match against Worcestershire.

With two games to play, they lead second-placed Kent by the 24 points they claimed for this win - the top two meet at Canterbury in the final game of the season.

Tom Westley, who completed a career-best 254 earlier in the day, helped hasten Worcestershire's departure to 201 all out with two wickets in five balls.

Earlier, Ryan ten Doeschate (109no) became the second Essex man to 1,000 Championship runs after Westley when he reached 92, the home side declaring on 601-5.

Kent enjoyed a sizeable win of their own, wrapping up a convincing victory by an innings and 127 runs over Sussex.

Their first Championship win at Hove since 1992 came on the third morning as Sussex tamely surrendered eight wickets in 27.5 overs, barely improving on their first innings 180 before being bowled out for 189.

Kent seamers Mitch Claydon (3-41), Hardus Viljeon (3-34) and Matt Coles (3-72) took three wickets each as Sussex suffered their first Championship defeat of the season to end their own slim chance of making a late charge for promotion.

Their hopes of making Kent work for victory were as good as over when Chris Nash (23) and Luke Wells (23) fell within 30 minutes of the resumption and although Fynn Hudson-Prentice (20) and Craig Cachopa (34) offered some resistance, Kent's victory was quick in coming.

Spinners Graeme White and Rob Keogh shared all 20 wickets as Northamptonshire wrapped up a mammoth 318-run win over Glamorgan on day three at Wantage Road.

After setting the visitors a mighty 451 to win, Keogh and White tore through the Glamorgan battling order for the second time in the contest, the visitors skittled for 132.

Keogh took 9-52 in the first innings but it was White who claimed career-best figures in the second innings with 6-44 - his first five-wicket haul in first-class cricket.

Keogh took the other four wickets to finish with 13-125 - the best figures by a Northamptonshire player for 40 years. The pair saw Northants to just their second win of the season - the first coming against Glamorgan at Swansea at the start of August.

A career-best performance from Alex Hughes turned almost certain defeat into possible victory as Derbyshire staged a remarkable recovery against Gloucestershire.

The 24-year-old all-rounder scored 140 from 209 balls in only his third first-class game of the season to raise Derbyshire's hopes of a first Championship win of the summer.

Neil Broom shared a century stand with Hughes and, although Craig Miles took 4-82, Gloucestershire became increasingly ragged as Tom Milnes smashed a career-best 56 from 53 balls and Harvey Hosein an unbeaten 52 before the home side were dismissed for 360.

That left Gloucestershire with a victory target of 272, which they reduced by 10 in five overs before the close.