Unbeaten centuries from Joe Root and Gary Ballance helped Yorkshire secure a draw at Trent Bridge.
Nottinghamshire had declared overnight with Joe Clarke on 97 not out, denying him the chance to become the youngest Notts player to make two centuries in a match. Jake Ball then took a couple of early wickets but that was all the succour Notts were to get as Root and Ballance strode onwards to an unbeaten partnership of 253.
Root was clonked on the head by Stuart Broad after ducking into his first ball of the day but a change of helmet and a handful of painkillers did the job. His was a careful innings, with a sprinkling of impetuosity – he passed 50 in an over from Paul Coughlin that he struck for four fours. “Being hit dented the ego slightly,” he said afterwards, “but you expect that from someone with 400 Test wickets.”
Somerset pulled off a remarkable 74-run win at Taunton after adding 62 for the last wicket thanks to George Bartlett and the No 11, Jack Brooks, on his Somerset debut. They then bowled Kent out for 131, with stout resistance coming only from Darren Stevens’ 43 not out. Lewis Gregory took five for 18.
At the Rose Bowl Essex fell to inevitable defeat, by an innings and 87 runs, despite a rearguard century from Ravi Bopara and 62 from Simon Harmer. Bopara’s dogged century, in over four and a half hours, kept Hampshire at bay but once the second new ball was taken he fell and the last four wickets quickly followed for five runs. Kyle Abbott took five for 77 and Fidel Edwards eight in the match.
In Division Two Leicestershire cruised to victory against Sussex by seven wickets, losing only two batsmen in the day. There were fifties for Paul Horton, Hasan Azad and Mark Cosgrove. It was their first win at Hove for 24 years.
Derbyshire won by 125 runs as a run-chase proved too hard for Durham’s batsmen. On a warm midlands morning fifties from Gareth Harte and Alex Lees at the top of the order were not enough to glue the rest together. Matthew Critchley took three for 54.
At Northampton Middlesex batted themselves out of a hole against Northamptonshire under the watching eye of the England chairman of selectors, Ed Smith, thanks to an unbeaten 160 from their captain, Dawid Malan, and 54 from Max Holden. With a draw nailed on, they then declared and whizzed through seven overs to improve their over rate before the sides shook hands.
