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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Will Macpherson at Edgbaston and Vic Marks at Taunton

County cricket final day: Hampshire and Somerset survive to relegate Middlesex – as it happened

Stevie Eskinazi of Middlesex about to be caught by Somerset’s Marcus Trescothick on day four at Taunton.
Stevie Eskinazi of Middlesex about to be caught by Somerset’s Marcus Trescothick on day four at Taunton. Photograph: PPAUK/Rex/Shutterstock

That's all folks!

Thank you for your company every single day of what has been a fantastic season to cover. Essex are worthy champions, and it’ll be a delight to have Worcestershire and Nottinghamshire back in Division One. Middlesex and Warwickshire drop down a division and have much to ponder.

All that’s for another day, though. Thanks again, and my sincerest apologies that comments have not been open for our last hurrah. It’s a shame, but understandable and beyond our control. Thanks for all your emails, tweets and the rest, it’s kept things moving! All being well we will be back next April, comments open and raring to go.

Here’s the last round of results:

Division One:

  • Warwickshire drew with Hampshire
  • Somerset beat Middlesex by 231 runs
  • Lancashire beat Surrey by 7 wickets
  • Essex beat Yorkshire by 376 runs

Division Two:

  • Worcestershire beat Durham by 137 runs
  • Sussex drew with Notts
  • Northamptonshire beat Leicestershire by 6 wickets
  • Derbyshire beat Gloucestershire by 157 runs
  • Glamorgan beat Kent by 5 wickets

Thanks again, and good night!

Updated

Good question. Middlesex go down with Warwickshire, by a single point.

Hampshire survive! Middlesex are relegated

That’s a draw, and there are huge cheers from the Hampshire dressing room. Vince batted superbly to save that.

3 balls left: defended, and no run. This is last chance saloon for Middlesex.

4 balls left: driven through mid-off, where there obviously isn’t a fielder, and Abbott takes two...

5 balls left: that’s four: Abbott turns round the corner and it runs away to the fence. Hampshire almost out of the woods.

6 balls left: Jeetan is done, as Holland turns to short leg along the floor. One more over this summer. OHD bowling to Abbott. Three wickets required.

7 balls left: Jeetan takes his time over this one. There’s an lbw shout but I could hear the wood from here.

8 balls left: edged! From round the wicket, Jeetan has take Holland’s edge and it’s dashed between Ambrose and Trott at slip! Runs away for four... No hand to it.

9 balls left: defended firmly to silly point.

10 balls left: appeal, hit on the pad, miles outside the line, no dice.

11 balls left: Holland defends to short leg.

Jeetan Patel is coming on. Of course he is. Two short legs, two legslips, silly point, slip.

12 balls left! I might as well go ball by ball.

Berg and Holland have put on 61 here since Vince fell, and it’s been vital. Chapeau. Ian Holland, another stray Aussie who has come through second team cricket, has proved quite a find this year. He’s faced 84 balls.

But now Berg has been bowled by OHD. 14 balls to go, three wickets remaining!!!!

Three overs left! Hampshire starting to look like they want to win this... (74 required)

Getting very close to the point where we can pack up and go home. Not quite, though. It only takes four balls...

Four. More. Overs.

Five overs left. My word, this has been a slow death for Middlesex. Almost exactly five hours since they lost their game against Somerset.

Six to go, and Hampshire looking very solid. Sidebottom has three left, and they are the key...

Lights coming on at Edgbaston...

Seven overs to go...

Right, Hampshire have eight overs to survive. New ball taken. Four wickets in hand.

Nine overs left ... Warwickshire need the breakthrough asap. OHD to bowl the last before the new ball.

10 overs. This partnership has been a fine one, lasting 11 overs now. Jeetan to bowl what will surely be his last before Warwickshire have a dip with the new ball.

OHD back, and there's a huge lbw shout against Berg on 20! No dice. 12 overs left.

Warwickshire have more helmeted fielders than un-helmeted; two short-legs, to leg-slips, and silly-point. Jeetan into his penultimate over I suspect, with the new ball due in four.

Hear hear

Lovely stuff. Tense here too...

Now six fielders close in round the bat for Jeetan... Holland resisting well, Berg wheeling away busily as ever.

16 overs remaining, then. Into the final hour. New ball due in eight. Four wickets standing.

David Lloyd, a Worcestershire supporter, writes:

Yes, the 5 point deduction hurt Northants, but they had 15 fewer batting bonus points than Notts, and 16 fewer than Worcs, so there are other reasons too.

Also, as a Worcester supporter, Ashwin really turned up for us. 7 wickets and 82 runs in this match, for a start. Certainlt earned whatever we paid him.

Correct on both counts. Let’s hope Ashwin returns at some stage next year, although I think the Duke John Hastings is signed on for another year.

Indeed. They finished five points behind Notts, but won two more games, so would have gone up without it.

Tres’s trick is catching on!

So this is the only game still going this season... Feels rather odd. Hampshire have four wickets in hand, and 18 overs to survive. Eight of them could be with a new ball. Jeetan is swapping ends.

Wahoo!

Nottinghamshire are promoted!

Match drawn at Hove as Sussex declare on 229 for seven. Notts get the draw they need for promotion in second place!

Worcestershire beat Durham by 137 runs and are Division Two champions!

Ashwin gets his fifth wicket, his second five-wicket haul for Worcestershire, dismissing Onions, who made 15 from 10 in his final game for Durham. It’s all over: Worcestershire are Division Two champions!

You can watch this here, by the way. Keep this tab open, mind.

Here’s the Vince wicket.

Total opposite, actually. Dug in gallantly, lasted 124 balls. And not sure he hit the one he was given out to.

Derbyshire beat Gloucestershire by 157 runs!

Wicket! Vince gone, and he can’t believe it! He doesn’t reckon he’s hit this, and is crawling off very slowly. But the finger has gone up, and it looks a belting delivery from Sidebottom. That’s the big one. Berg in now. Hope remains for Middlesex... 21 overs remain after this one.

Updated

Said it before, I’ll say it again. This is not how an exclusive works.

Updated

Durham nine down and Ashwin on a hat-trick! Worcestershire are about to become Division Two champions!

Vince is out of the 20s, where he had been for 91 balls... 24 more overs for Hampshire to survive.

Ha! Been an absolutely superb season for Northants.

Northants beat Leicestershire by 6 wickets!

Well done them. Nine wins and no promotion feels mad and sad but no doubt they will celebrate heartily tonight nonetheless.

I fancy The Other Ryan Sidebottom to take a heap of wickets in Division Two next year. I’ve seen him a few times now, and today is by some distance the quickest he’s looked. Late swing as well. His brother, brilliantly, is an Aussie Rules player for Collingwood called Steele Sidebottom.

We will get a new ball with eight overs remaining in the match. Could be fascinating...

Wicket! Dawson had dug in so well but he has flashed hard at The Other Ryan Sidebottom and is caught at first slip by Jeetan! 32.4 overs left...

A fourth ton of the season for Luke Wells, who is now top of the Division Two run charts, and behind only Sanga. Great effort. Draw incoming, and promotion for Notts.

So, here we go for the final session of the season. Jeetan is swapping ends. The short boundary is there for both Vince and Dawson if they fancy taking it on on the legside. Probably unwise. 33 overs to survive.

Norwell wins the long-running trophy! Congratulations, Liam (and namesake).

Don’t forget, Hampshire do have some fans, though...

RomeoRomeoTango writes:

Afternoon Will, afternoon everyone. I’ve been otherwise engaged. Am I a bad person for having certain thoughts about Edgbaston? Didn’t think so.

Looking very much like the neutrals – and Durham fans – won’t get what they want from this game...

News:

And that’s tea: Hampshire are 113 for three. Partnership of 41 in more than 28 overs between Vince and Dawson has taken them to the brink of safety. 33 overs remaining, and 25 before the new ball. There will be one tough hour, you’d think, for Warwickshire to go hard in hunt of wickets. If Hampshire get through that, hands may well be shaken.

It is looking overwhelmingly like Middlesex are going down.

Durham six down. One great offie gets another: Pringle goes to Ashwin. Worcestershire should win.

Tea at Grace Road! Northants are two down, needing 43. Procter has 84.

Tea is 15 minutes away, the partnership is 40 in 25 overs, and Trott turns to Matt Lamb, his partnership breaker.

Warwickshire need six wickets in 39 overs if Middlesex are to go down. Hampshire looking very solid, and it’s 111 for four.

Durham are five down! Barnard gets Graham Clark. Finishing with a flourish.

Four men round the bat to Jeetan for Dawson. 107 for four now... These two have batted very well indeed.

Collingwood gets one that stays low from Barnard at Grace Road and he’s gone! He put on 88 with Graham Clark, who has 62, and Durham need 231 more, while Worcestershire need six wickets.

51 balls for Dawson’s four.

Hampshire have scored a run!

Vince, after 23 balls on 24, takes a single and Hampshire move to 100 for four. The first run off the bat in eight overs.

20 balls on 24 for Vince...

Updated

No runs off the bat for seven overs here.... Hampshire 99 for four.

They are just cricketing their way to handshakes at Hove, where Sussex are none down leading by 175 with 47 overs left. They wouldn’t fancy a little declaration and a dart at some stage would they?

Vince and Dawson have dragged Hampshire to 99 for four, putting on 27 in 13 overs. They need 160 to win. That feels unlikely, so they need to survive 49 overs to draw.

Northants are going nicely, but it’s not likely to matter. Procter has another 50, and they need 93 to beat Leicestershire with nine wickets in hand.

Really sorry, but looking very much like comments won’t be going on all day. Totally out of my hands and to do with cricketing goings on way beyond the county game.

24 balls on 0 for Liam Dawson ... Warwickshire need six more wickets to send Hampshire down. Jeetan into his work from the Birmingham End.

Vince has zipped to 14 with a couple of lovely backfoot drives through the offside. 82 for four, needing 177.

Wayne Noon, the CLO, said that the pitch was “below average” because of excessive turn but that does not constitute any points penalties (it’s the first one of those down here).

Bailey was reverse-sweeping, by the way...

Wicket! Bailey gone! Hampshire have lost three wickets in 19 balls since lunch. Bailey gone second ball to Jeetan (lbw), and in comes Dawson to join Vince.

Jennings’ final innings for Durham ends on 20. Gone to Ashwin. Durham 48 for three, and Worcestershire marching to the Division Two title.

Wicket! Next over, Alsop edges a Jeetan turner to slip! Simple for Trotty. To be fair, that looked very likely to happen before lunch. Three down, 191 required...

Indeed.

Big session until tea for Hants, because if Warwickshire aren’t looking like winning by then, you could see the relegated team’s head dropping.

Wicket! What a ball! Ervine straight drove Sidebottom for four, but third ball after lunch he is gone! It’s angled in at the pads and jagged away and been caught behind. Ambrose was heading legside to take it. Ervine bashes his pad on the way off. Need 191 more. The Ashes’s James Vince in.

We are back underway.

Robin Durie writes:

I’m sitting in a sun-kissed Taunton, having watched Leach & van de Merwe bowl beautifully to dismiss Middlesex before lunch. The ball that got Voges from Leach was a real ripper - dipped into his pads, then gripped, turned & bounced to take the outside edge.

Whilst it was thrilling to watch attacking spin bowling in such an important match, it was disappointing to see how easily Middlesex capitulated.

It’s hard to fathom what the England selectors see in Crane that they don’t see in Leach (who, btw, bowled unchanged from the River End for the entirety of both Middlesex innings).

It might be time for a half of zyderrr!

Middlesex were bowled out twice for a combined 255... Very, very poor.

Special bloke.

I’m off to grab a bite of lunch. Play to start at 1pm at Hove. Hopefully some time very soon we will be able to open the comments section.

And that is lunch. Hampshire have survived the first hour, and their batsmen will learn now that if they survive two more session, they will retain their Division One status. 65 overs to survive, or 195 runs to score.

One to savour, Somerset fans.

Well, moments after Somerset completed their victory, Jeetan thought he had Alsop, twice. No dice. Hampshire need 200...

Somerset beat Middlesex by 231 runs!

It’s over by 241 runs. Leach takes the last wicket Finn lbw - to finish with five (for the fourth time this year). 2000 rise to their feet ... and they’ve escaped. Over to you Will...

Tim Sanders (DaddyPig) has been in touch.

Jeetan Patel is a very tricky proposition for left-handers on the fourth day, bowling into the rough stuff created by right-arm over bowlers. But is there any turn from a good line and length to threaten the right-handers ? If he tries bowling into the leg-stump rough like he did at Headingley last week, then Hampsvaal will get ‘em (and stay up) in byes.

He’s turning it, but it’s not a fourth day track at the mo. First day missed due to rain.

Updated

Good spot. He has 4 for 16.

Murtagh bowled swinging at vdm 101-9...

Right then, here comes Jeetan Patel. Bit late imo. Two lefties in, nine to get, 49 for one. Turn straight away.

93-8 Harris, caught from a top-edge sweep against van der Merwe. Quantocks still fully visible...

Warwickshire have been a bit pants this morning, and Jeetan really can’t be far away.

Stuie not giving up yet.

Charlie Ball - or HighPeakGeek BTL - has been in touch with regards to Lancashire.

“It has been a great season for Lancs,” Charlie writes.

“What’s really gone unnoticed is that with the exception of Haseeb (for reasons that have been documented but not, I think necessarily absorbed by some commentators) and arguably the skipper himself (who remains very underrated but who may be winding his career down), all the first team regulars who have come up through the system appear to have improved this season. It’s not just the obvious ones like Al Davies, Liam Livingstone and Matt Parkinson. Steven Parry, Tom Bailey and especially Jordan Clark have come on as well. And Lancs have a cracking set of young players waiting to come up. And all in the wake of the untimely retirement of the popular and talented Tom Smith over the winter.

“My only real disappointments are that Rob Jones and especially Arron Lilley haven’t had much chance this season, and Simon Kerrigan may not have a Lancs future. And that Yorkshire stayed up, obviously.”

Interestingly, I reckon even Hameed has improved actually. Seems much steelier for his summer, and a shame that it ended in injury. Now needs to work out how to turn over the strike more.

Lloyds Leach strikes in the first over of Durham’s chase. Of course he does. Steel gone. Jennings have his last bat for Durham. It’s 6 for 1.

Alsop edges wide of third slip for four! 38 for one...

Ah so there is a contrivance at Bristol! Sorry I missed this. Good to see. Gloucestershire declared overnight, 236 behind, then Derbyshire smashed 144 for none in 13.4 overs (nice work if you can get it for Ben Slater and Luis Reece). Gloucestershire are now 15 for one (Podmore with the wicket of Howell), requiring another 366 in 72 overs.

Hell of a lot of sawdust out there at Edgbaston. 28 for one.

Stirling ct Overton b van der Merwe 80-7 ... at slip again VDM actually looking more dangerous than the other two at the moment.

Simpson lbw Leach 80-6 - stuck on back foot..did it turn enough? Leach’s 50th wicket of the season

Certainly right up there. Remarkable, really. Three full-point wins better than any other side. The only team they didn’t beat this summer was Lancashire, who finished second.

Updated

Worcestershire declare! Durham need 370 to win in 74 overs. Mitchell made 123, and Graham Onions was given a big ovation. Lovely.

Hannon-Dalby has found extravagant movement in his first over. This would be one hell of a chase from Hampshire.

Here’s the Leach wicket. Lovely ball.

Alsop and Ervine on the way out for Hampshire. Wright to get Warwickshire going.

Agree. Plenty of good things happening at Old Trafford and – though members will not want to admit it – plenty of them were put in place under Ashley Giles. Hearing that they plan to spend the winter spending big.

Right, well I’m pleased to say we are five minutes away from getting going at Edgbaston. Middlesex badly need Warwickshire to take nine wickets in 80 overs.

After a period of calm Voges ct Overton (at slip) b Leach ... pushing forward defensively and an outside edge ... anticipating more belligerence from Stirling. 71-5.

100 for Daryl Mitchell! What a guy. The Woosters crack on.

Worcestershire just seem to be merrily batting their way to the Division Two title. They are 324 in front and Daryl Mitchell is approaching his seventh century of the summer.

Here’s that catch Vic referenced. Tres, you absolute marvel.

As Paul Frame points out, the Essex groundsman Stuart Kerrison, the best on the circuit for both pitches and chat, has been at it again.

Lancashire beat Surrey by 7 wickets!

Livi ends 69 not out, and Lancashire finish second, Surrey third. Lancashire share £240,000 worth of prize money, Surrey get £115,000.

Graham Porter asks:

Will, If the erstwhile BTLers are yet to be conVinced, do you think you might be able to open the comments if (sorry, once) he starts stroking Sid the 2nd and OHD all around south Birmingham? Or is the real reason something else that I definitely only dreamed seeing on the Sun website late last night?

I have no idea what this thing on the Sun you’re asking about is, but it’s certainly not a dream, it’s a cricketing nightmare...

I’m looking forward to some sleep, but I am also a bit sad. Can’t wait to get back to Worcester next year either.

Lee Smith writes talking about Chris Read. What a cricketer he’s been. He points me in the direction of this rather nice appreciation. I have to say, I’m a bit sad that Northants are missing out on promotion, but what a wonderful way to sign off for Read. Fully deserved, and he has been a very special county cricketer.

A good question from John Atherton!

“Earlier in the season,” he asked, “there was a rumour that Moeen Ali was going to swap Worcs for Warks. As the two counties are swapping divisions, is that rumour dead?”

There is a funny story about this. Moeen’s agent thought his Worcestershire contract ended this September, and he would therefore be able to move now. But it doesn’t, it ends next September, so that idea was dead in the water. He still lives in Birmingham and I wouldn’t be remotely surprised if ends up going back at some stage.

11.30 start at Edgbaston. 16 overs have been lost, so Hampshire have 80 to survive, basically.

Eskinazi ct Trescothick b van der Merwe 43 for 4.
A remarkable catch.
Trescothick fields on his knees in the gully for spinners, which is odd and possibly unique. The ball before the ball had looped over his head off the edge - why doesn’t he stand up?. Next ball another edge that comes to him an inch off the ground. Trescothick lurches forward from his kneeling position and holds on.

Inspection underway here, and warm-ups happening in earnest. Maybe start at 11.30?

This indeed the problem.

Not that I’ve heard. Not aware that they are actually behind the rate, which is for the match: the amount of spin they bowled in the first innings probably means they had plenty of leeway.

Inspection at 10.45am here at Edgbaston.

A delay at Hove, too. Good news for Notts.

The stumps are actually in the ground at Edgbaston, so mayeb the start isn’t too far away.

Quantocks visible just about and hazy sunshine for the last day of Matthew Maynard’s period in charge and that of the Somerset physio, Darren Veness. And the equation is simple, as most of you will know. If Somerset win they stay in the first division, provided there are no points deduction outrages. As for Middlesex, if they avoid defeat they are safe; if Hampshire lose at Edgbaston, they are safe. On another day it would be the sole topic of debate among the cricketing fraternity, but my suspicions are that may not be the case.

Interestingly, Hampshire’s team bus is parked up just outside Edgbaston in a layby – ready for a swift getaway?

Definitely a delayed start here. Will keep you posted. Hampshire will be delighted.

Delayed start at Grace Road, where Northamptonshire need 180 to beat Leicestershire.

Updated

Thank you for following Stuie – already a true stalwart! I wonder if Gloucestershire and Derbyshire will contrive something at Bristol?

The rain in Birmingham was fairly torrential overnight so the umpires are just doing a little inspection. May be a slightly delayed start.

Indeed. We are endeavouring to have comments open as soon as possible so all this chatter can go on BTL.

Morning all it's the morning call!

Once more with feeling. We are almost there, the setting of the season. Welcome to the final day of the 2017 County Championship season. I’ve no idea what number County Cricket - live! this is for the summer (the fixture list is too imperfect to know), but this is certainly the last. It’s been emotional. A word of thanks to all of you who’ve read, commented, emailed, tweeted, argued and the rest. It’s been great fun.

I’m afraid that, for obvious but unavoidable cricketing reasons, comments have to be closed for now. Hopefully we can crack them open some time very soon. See above or below for how to contact me in the meantime – I will endeavour to include them all ATL to keep the conversation going.

Anyway, business: we are not quite done yet! I’m Will Macpherson and I’m at Edgbaston, where Hampshire need to avoid defeat against Warwickshire to stay in Division One. In a game with a top score so far of 188, Hampshire are 20 for one, needing another 239 runs. If Warwickshire take nine wickets, Hampshire are in deep strife.

They are in deep strife because of events at Taunton, where m’colleague Vic Marks lies in wait. Somerset, armed with Leach and Bess, need seven more Middlesex wickets to win. Middlesex need an improbable 305 runs to win. Indeed it’s highly improbable that they are capable of batting all day, even if the pitch has calmed. If Middlesex lose, they need Hampshire to lose if they are to survive.

Worcestershire are up! Great news. CC - live! from New Road next year sounds fun. After heroics from Chris Read, in his final game, and tomorrow’s man Billy Root, it looks overwhelmingly like Nottinghamshire will get the draw they need to go up. If you’d told me on Finals Day that it would prove this much of a struggle for them I’d have laughed right in your face. It feels like Northamptonshire, who need another 180 runs against Leicestershire, are going to end up with nine wins but remain in Division Two. Extraordinary, and a shame. Here’s the scores on the doors:

Division One:

  • Essex beat Yorkshire by 376 runs
  • Middlesex 142 & 40-3 v Somerset 236 & 250-9d
  • Lancashire 268 & 132-3 v Surrey 201-8d & 242
  • Hampshire 116 & 20-1 v Warwickshire 188 & 186

Division Two:

  • Northants 202 & 17-0 v Leicestershire 128 & 270
  • Nottinghamshire 477 v Sussex 565
  • Worcestershire 335 & 157-3 v Durham 208
  • Glamorgan beat Kent by 5 wickets
  • Gloucestershire 224-2 v Derbyshire 460

And here’s yesterday’s report from Chelmsford and roundup of the rest.

I can still be contacted! Here’s how:

I greatly look forward to hearing from you. All that leaves me to say, for one last time, is enjoy the cricket. It’s a long old off season!

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