County Championship Cricket
Day 4
Sussex v Somerset - Somerset win by 5 wickets
Sus - 221 & 308
Som - 134 & 397-5
I know, I couldn't believe it either. Last night most people would have handed the win to Sussex, but I did note that this was Somerset, the team with easily the most fight and 'never say die' attitude in English County Cricket.
Beginning the day on 155-4 and with two new batsmen at the crease things didn't look good for Somerset. Hildreth and Barrow (40) put on 80 for the fifth wicket however and reduced the defecit to 166. That wicket was Magoffin's fourth but it would also be his, and Sussex's, last.
Hildreth played steadily but refused to be tied down, while his new partner tried a different approach; attack!
Trego began launching the ball out of the ground from the word go. Hildreth went past 50 but Trego was soon closing him down. The pair of them took Somerset to 300, at which point Sussex would really have begun to feel the nerves. Then as the runs kept coming they lost the plot althogether. Hildreth inched up to a splendid century and finished ahead of Trego who smashed four 6s in his 89 not out from 72 deliveries.
The victory was completed before tea which means they hit 242 runs in two sessions. Hildreth and Trego added an unbeaten 166 in just over 25 overs. The game will go down as one of the best this season and maybe the best ever in Somerset's history as it moved them to second in the table, although only for a few hours when Middlesex also won.
Points: Sussex 4, Somerset 19
Surrey v Nottinghamshire - Surrey win by 195 runs
Sur - 269 & 304
Not - 227 & 155
Nottinghamshire showed none of Somerset's fighting prowess however as they collapsed dramatically after lunch. Surrey wrapped up the victory that will keep them in the first divison next year and condemns Lancashire to relegation.
Night-watchman Gurney, didn't survive the first over but Edwards and Wessels battled hard to keep Nottinghamshire in the game. On a dry, spinning wicket it became a war of attrition between the bowlers and the batsmen. Together they saw off well over an hour of cricket in the morning and put on 51 for the second wicket but eventually Wessels was trapped plumb in front for 16.
Voges has had a torrid time with the bat in this latter part of the season but he too fought hard up to the final over before lunch, which was bowled by Pietersen. The part-time spinner used his extra height and bounce to remove the Australian and leave Nottinghamshire in trouble.
Sure enough, after lunch, the Surrey bowlers tucked into the visitors' line up with Batty finishing with 4 for 30. Nottinghamshire had no reply and subsided to a defeat that drops them to fourth in the table.
Points: Surrey 21, Nottinghamshire 4
Middlesex v Lancashire - Middlesex win by 109 runs
Mid - 446 & 129-2
Lan - 448
An incredible last day saw seventeen wickets fall and last years' champions relegated from the first division. Middlesex have come from nowhere to storm into second place with their final match of the season.
Chapple picked up 5 wickets including that of Malan for 95, while Rogers made 86. They helped Middlesex past 300 to set 304 for Lancashire to chase. Not long into their second innings however Lancashire will have heard of Surrey's victory over Nottinghamshire and will have known that they could do no more to stave off relegation. Up to that point several batsmen had made starts but failed to go past 35, but afterward they collapsed in a heap. Crook took 5 for 48 and Patel wrapped up the innings to finish with 4 for 72.
To be fair to Lancashire they were giving the chase a go (they had to win to survive one more week) and this expansive cricket will have been a big cause in their demise. As for Middlesex however they leap from the middle of the table to second, stunning all those now below them, although it is likely the will slip next week when everyone else plays their final matches.
Points: Middlesex 22, Lancashire 6
Kent v Derbyshire - Kent win by 222 runs
Ken - 261 & 342-8
Der - 200 & 181
Derbyshire hung on for as long as they could today, but it was all in vain as Kent stormed to a victory that keeps them in the promotion race.
The visitors made it to 57 this morning before losing their second wicket and later passed 100 with only three wickets down. However three more wickets then fell for 6 runs and the game was almost over. Somehow Derbyshire stuck it out well into the final session, adding another 72 runs, mainly thanks to Poynton who was unbeaten on 27 from 122 balls. Stevens though, wrapped up the match to finish with 4 for 37.
Derbyshire remain in first place, but have it all to do next week if they want to be promoted and win the title.
Points: Kent 21, Derbyshire 4
Hampshire v Essex - Essex win by 122 runs
Ess - 180 & 475
Ham - 229 & 302
Hampshire showed some spirit but their promotion chances have gone as they fell well short of Essex's target. Starting on 73-3 Adams and Dawson extended their partnership past 100 as both of them edged closer to centuries. Eventually Dawson was caught and bowled for 90 with the partnership broken at 160. Adams went on to reach his hundred but not before most of the wickets had fallen as no one else was able to support him and Hampshire slowly fell apart.
An exciting last wicket stand reduced the defecit to 122 with Adams finishing unbeaten on 139, but thee game was up long before.
Points: Hampshire 4, Essex 19
Tables
Division 1
| Team | Played | Points | |
| 1 | Warwickshire | 15 | 204 |
| 2 | Middlesex | 16 | 172 |
| 3 | Somerset | 15 | 164 |
| 4 | Sussex | 15 | 163 |
| 5 | Nottinghamshire | 15 | 157 |
| 6 | Durham | 15 | 137 |
| 7 | Surrey | 15 | 132 |
| 8 | Lancashire | 15 | 101 |
| 9 | Worcestershire | 15 | 94 |
Division 2
| Team | Played | Points | |
| 1 | Derbyshire | 15 | 173 |
| 2 | Yorkshire | 15 | 172 |
| 3 | Kent | 15 | 167 |
| 4 | Hampshire | 15 | 148 |
| 5 | Essex | 15 | 142 |
| 6 | Northamptonshire | 16 | 130 |
| 7 | Gloucestershire | 15 | 122 |
| 8 | Leicestershire | 15 | 109 |
| 9 | Glamorgan | 15 | 108 |
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