Essex beat Northamptonshire by an innings and 44 runs early on day two to win County Championship Division Two; Northants bowled out for 45 after making just 81 in their first innings; Essex seamer Sam Cook ends with match figures of 10-41 as side clinch fifth red-ball title in six years
Wednesday 22 September 2021 20:23, UK
Essex secured the LV= Insurance County Championship Division Two title after rolling Northamptonshire for 45 en route to an innings-and-44-run victory inside four sessions at Chelmsford.
Essex required only four points from the match to guarantee top spot in the table but ended up with 19 after razing Northants for 81 in 34.5 overs in the first innings and then flattening the visitors in 18.2 overs second time around.
The Division Two crown is Essex's fifth-red ball title in the last six years to go with two County Championships (2017 and 2019), the Bob Willis Trophy (2020) and another Division Two title (2016).
The home side needed just five wickets heading into the second day with Northants resuming on 23-5 and trailing by 66, and Essex - bowled out for 170 on a 25-wicket day one - required just 30 minutes to complete a third innings win in four divisional matches. Essex vs Northants scorecard
Shane Snater (4-7) dismissed Saif Zaib (0), Adam Rossington (4), Josh Cobb (0) and Tom Taylor (8) before Sam Cook clinched a maiden 10-wicket haul with the match-winning scalp of Luke Procter (24), who was the only Northants player to reach double figures.
Left-armer Cook ended with innings figures of 5-20 and match figures of 10-41 as Northants sunk to a crushing defeat in head coach David Ripley's final game in charge.
Ripley announced he was stepping down from the role earlier this month and it was confirmed earlier this week that his assistant coach, John Sadler, would take over.
Zafar Gohar ran through Durham for a second time in two days with 6-52 as Gloucestershire romped to a seven-wicket win at Bristol. Glos vs Durham scorecard
The Pakistan spinner followed his 5-50 in the first innings with another excellent display in the second as Durham were swept for only 131 - Gohar dismissing Liam Trevaskis in bizarre fashion as the batsman swept onto the helmet of Tom Lace at short leg and into James Bracey's gloves.
It left just 54 to be knocked off in the sunshine and with 12 to win, Gohar was sent out to seal victory, only to fall for a third-ball duck sweeping Trevaskis to deep square.
Soon after, Gloucestershire closed out an eighth victory - their most in a campaign since 1998 and the most wins of any county this summer as they sealed second spot in Division Two.
Plus, Chris Cooke scored 205 in Glamorgan's total of 672-6 declared at The Kia Oval and while Surrey closed on 45-0, they are set to conclude their campaign battling to force a draw. Surrey vs Glamorgan scorecard
In Division Three, Mark Stoneman's second century for Middlesex has them on course to clinch the title in their decider with Kent. Kent vs Middlesex scorecard
Ethan Bamber (3-36) and Martin Andersson (3-44) did the damage first up on day two, helping Kent collapse to 138 all out.
Then it was over to Stoneman, who struck 109 as Middlesex made 298-6 to build a 307-run lead.
Ben Brown's unbeaten 150 helped Sussex to 255-6 in response to Derbyshire's 465 at Hove, Jake Libby, Charlie Morris and Ben Cox struck half-centuries for Worcestershire as they closed on 378-6 against Leicestershire to lead by 156.
