Surrey shimmied back to the top of Division One after a run-soaked match at the Oval drifted to a draw.But not before Emilio Gay and Alex Lees had taken a bold approach to the follow-on – slamming an unbeaten 262 for the first wicket until the teams finally shook hands.It was Lees’ second hundred of the game and Gay’s highest score for Durham – a saucy 156.Lancashire finally won a Championship match in 2025, rolling over Derbyshire, who fell well short of their target of 513.Jimmy Anderson swallowed the last catch of the match, leaving Wayne Madsen stranded on 95.

George Balderson collected eight wickets in the match, Tom Bailey three in the innings, and an almost smiling Anderson led his team off.“It’s a very proud dressing room today,” he said.“It’s been a tough season but I feel like over the last couple of games we’ve slowly turned the corner.”Yorkshire were rewarded for their diligent day one bowling and their plucky day three fightback with a 10-wicket victory over Essex at York.Jordan Cox had just pocketed 50 when he attacked Matthew Revis like a swingball player and became one of Jonny Bairstow’s six catches of the match.

Jack White took four for 37 and the two teams swapped places in Division Two.A century from Somerset’s Tom Kohler-Cadmore and 24 from Tom Abell frustrated Nottinghamshire at Taunton.There were four wickets for Liam Patterson-White in a 29-over spell either side of lunch.Ben Kellaway’s left-arm, right-arm all-sorts almost bowled Glamorgan to victory, and he finished with a career-best six for 111 to put aside his century on Monday.But Gloucestershire would not be moved.

Richard Dawson, Glamorgan’s interim head coach said of the controversial Kookaburra ball: “You’ve got to be precise in your line and length, be patient and build pressure, and we were prepared to do that,”Canterbury cricket week finished with a tense final hour that seemed unlikely when Kent rattled up 566 for eight in their first innings,Yuzvendra Chahal (four for 51) and Calvin Harrison (three for 59) spun down 54 overs between them as Kent wilted, until Joey Evison and Tawanda Muyeye, batting at No 10 after leaving the ground for personal reasons, held firm,Northants had earlier declared on 722 for six, with Saif Zaib 196 not out and Justin Broad 157 not out,The game between Warwickshire and Sussex finished with handshakes at 5pm at Hove.

And with that draw at Canterbury, the door gently closes.We’ll be back on July 22 for the next round of the Championship, kookaburra and all.Till then, enjoy the summer as it flies beneath our feet.Thanks for your company, bye!DIVISION ONESouthampton: Hampshire 221 and 294-4 DRAW with Worcestershire 679-7decTaunton: Somerset 379 and 238-4 DRAW with Nottinghamshire 509The Oval: Surrey 820-9 DRAW with Durham 362 and 262-0Hove: Sussex 533 DRAW with Warwickshire 415 and 260-4York: Yorkshire 459 and 41-0 BEAT Essex 368 and 131 BY 10 WICKETSDIVISION TWOChesterfield: Lancashire 367 and 406-6dec BEAT Derbyshire 261 and 251 BY 261 RUNSSophia Gardens: Glamorgan 528 DRAW with Gloucestershire 380 and 255-7Canterbury: Kent 566-8dec and 160-8 DRAW WITH Northamptonshire 722-6decGrace Road: Middlesex 534 BEAT Leicestershire 205 and 202 BY AN INNINGS AND 127 RUNS1 Leicestershire 1572 Derbyshire 1263 Glamorgan 1244 Gloucestershire 1115 Northamptonshire 1086 Lancashire 1027.Middlesex 998 Kent 89And finally:Canterbury: Kent 566-8dec and 160-8 DRAW WITH Northamptonshire 722-6dec1 Surrey 1402 Nottinghamshire 1393 Sussex 1234 Somerset 1175 Warwickshire 1176 Durham 1087 Hampshire 1058 Yorkshire 919 Essex 8810 Worcestershire 73As an eighth wicket falls at Canterbury – Mueyeye strides out at No.

10.Sophia Gardens: Glamorgan 528 DRAW with Gloucestershire 380 and 255-7And they call it a day.Glamorgan 14 pts, Gloucestershire 12 pts.I’m going to have to start writing up for the paper – but do hang around for the denouement BTL.Which leaves us with two – Glamorgan v Gloucestershire, where Ben Kellaway has an astonishing six for 105.

Charlesworth and Murphy holding out – the Gloucs lead 100 runs,And Kent v Northants, where Northants need just three more wickets for victory,Four wickets for Chahal, two for Harrison,Evison the unpickable bluetack,The Oval: Surrey 820-9 DRAW with Durham 362 and 262-0Twin hundreds for Alex Lees and a highest Durham score for Emilio Gay twinkle Durham to an easy draw.

Surrey 15 points; Durham pointsSouthampton: Hampshire 221 and 294-4 DRAW with Worcestershire 679-7decUnstinted effort from Worcestershire but well backed-to-the-wall Hampshire – especially Ben Brown (109 not out) supported by Tilak Varma and Liam Dawson.Worcestershire 16 points, HampshireWell played TKC – calculated aggression with 147 not out, and a stolid 24 in two and a half hours at a strike rate of 19.05 from Tom Abell.29 overs unchanged from Patterson-White either side of lunch – four for 104.Taunton: Somerset 379 and 238-4 DRAW with Nottinghamshire 509Somerset 11 points, Nottinghamshire 12 points.

Warwickshire bat their way to safety with ease,Hove: Sussex 533 DRAW with Warwickshire 415 and 260-4Sussex 14 points, Warwickshire points,Well played Yorkshire,Disciplined bowling on a turgid first day, a great fightback on the third and turned the screw efficiently today,Out of the relegation zone and beyond.

York: Yorkshire 459 and 41-0 BEAT Essex 368 and 131 BY 10 WICKETSYorkshire 20 points, Essex 3 pointsAnd that is how you bat Surrey off your case,Just to bookmark where we are around next year’s structure,The phase two engagement stage with the counties has come to a close, the Worcestershire website details all the options:The steering group who have been in charge of the process (a number of county CEOs, the PCA and the ECB in an administrative role) will then decide on a maximum of three options to bring back to the counties – via ratification from the professional game committee,That’s expected to be late this week/early next week,If there is no two-thirds majority from the counties, the status quo will remain.

All to be decided before the CC restarts in September.Bean and Lyth pat-a-cake their way through the first few overs.Time for a brew, back shortly.DIVISION ONESouthampton: Hampshire 221 and 240-4 v Worcestershire 679-7decTaunton: Somerset 379 and 197-4 v Nottinghamshire 509The Oval: Surrey 820-9 v Durham 362 and 185-0Hove: Sussex 533 v Warwickshire 415 and 215-3York: Yorkshire 459 v Essex 368 and 131 Yorkshire need 41 to winDIVISION TWOChesterfield: Lancashire 367 and 406-6dec BEAT Derbyshire 261 and 251 BY 261 RUNSSophia Gardens: Glamorgan 528 v Gloucestershire 380 and 194-4Canterbury: Kent 566-8dec and 76-2 v Northamptonshire 722-6decGrace Road: Middlesex 534 BEAT Leicestershire 205 and 202 BY AN INNNINGS AND 127 RUNSTea everywhere apart from at York…actually there too as well as Essex’s last man Ahmed is caught poking at four-wicket Jack White.Essex all out 131 – Yorks need 41 to win.

At Canterbury, where Northants declared with Saif Zaib on 196, Kent are two down.Compton and DBD readjust the guy-ropes.A saucy little innings – four sixes, eight fours – while at the other end Somerset are digging in – Abell 16 not out off 67.Notts need to conjure something from the Taunton air.Pepper goes to a shot he won’t want engraved on his tombstone.

He departs chastened.A third wicket for White and sixth catch in the match for YJB.🔥 https://t.co/zHI6A3SO0J pic.twitter.

com/3lZ9kmk2qeSome nice quotes from stand-in captain Jimmy Anderson at Chesterfield, via the reporters network.“It’s a very proud dressing room today.It’s been a tough season but I feel like over the last couple of games we’ve slowly turned the corner.We could easily have won at Blackpool last week when we put a really hard shift in and we’ve gone one better this week.“I thought the efforts of the guys one to eleven were fantastic, I couldn’t have asked for any more.

There have been some brilliant performances and we deserved that win,“Four day cricket is hard work and sometimes you do have to soak up pressure,We didn’t soak it up particularly well that first morning but that can happen when the ball does a bit on day one but I thought the way we fought our way back into the game was outstanding,“The moment we got an opportunity to sniff a switch in momentum we took it and in both games, Blackpool and here, we’ve tried to be positive when we could and I thought that showed throughout the game,”Wow! Emilio Gay – 81 at nearly a run a ball at The Oval.

Lovely from @emilio_nico1 & that’s first-class fifty number seventeen.🤟#ForTheNorth pic.twitter.com/IYhGz1Kkg3Looking a bit emptier at lovely Clifton Park today, as someone’s brolly in the temporary stand blows inside out.Young Noah Thain, yet to grab a run, batted very nicely in the first innings.

This was Raf’s report from yesterday, in another confident victory for India women.Belatedly (because we got home at 1.30am!) here’s my report from yesterday.Note that NSB may not be fit for Friday - she’s “being assessed”.https://t.

co/iDUCfAC3T0Ooops! Revis gets the big one as Jordan Cox secures his feet in concrete and swings like a frustrated younger brother at garden swingball,Jonny collects,Essex 107-7 – the lead just 16,Fifty for Jordan Cox, 23 for Michael Pepper, Essex inch into three figures and positive runs – the lead ten,A hundred here would do Cox the world of good.

In terms of Ashes tours and spare batters, he and James Rew and Jacob Bethell must be closest to the plane.Dan Lawrence’s time may have come and gone.At last! Morley wafts to Jimmy at fourth (?) slip and Wayne Madsen is stranded on on 95.Four wickets to Balderson, three for Bailey and an almost smiling Jimmy leads them off, captaincy suits him just fine.That first Championship win of the season comes on July 2, while Derbyshire lose their unbeaten record.

Chesterfield: Lancashire 367 and 406-6dec BEAT Derbyshire 261 and 251 BY 261 RUNSLancashire 22 points , Derbyshire 4Tickner drives, stylishly to be fair, but just edges Bailey behind,A very slow trudge to the rope,Lancashire are one away!Jimmy has the new ball,The square at Chesterfield is so brown, and im imagine prickly enough to discourage teenage trysts,And at Taunton, a sweep shot does for James Rew - Liam Patterson-White pockets number four – a pleasing Kookaburra result for the ECB.

Emilio Gay isn’t hanging around at The Oval – five fours in his 30 not out,Surrey have already used five bowlers in nine overs,An unsatisfactory lunch from the back of the fridge,A gust of wind at Chesterfield threatens to blow away the gazebo and George Bell,Possibly Fletch and Scott Read too.

Derbyshire 242-8, can WAyne Madsen muster his first century against Lancashire before the denouement?DIVISION ONESouthampton: Hampshire 221 and 156-4 v Worcestershire 679-7decTaunton: Somerset 379 and 112-3 v Nottinghamshire 509The Oval: Surrey 820-9 v Durham 362 and 27-0Hove: Sussex 533 v Warwickshire 415 and 108-1York: Yorkshire 459 v Essex 368 and 48-6DIVISION TWOChesterfield: Derbyshire 261 and 231-8 v Lancashire 367 and 406-6dec Lancs need two wicketsSophia Gardens: Glamorgan 528 v Gloucestershire 380 and 108-3Canterbury: Kent 566-8dec v Northamptonshire 722-6Grace Road: Middlesex 534 BEAT Leicestershire 205 and 202 BY AN INNNINGS AND 127 RUNSWondered why Saif Zaib had been stranded on 196 for so long – it is raining at Canterbury.Scores round the grounds to follow.Around the grounds:At last a wicket at Southampton! Tilak Varma prods forward to Callum Parkinson and is snaffled at short leg, after an excellent 47.Hampshire 140-4.They’ve taken an early lunch at Hove after bad light shortened the morning session.

Warwicks 108-1, fifty for Al Davies.Somerset lost Lammonby, flapping to midwicket, to give Patterson-White his third wicket.TKC (53 not out) is in attacking mode though, tucking into Farhan Ahmed with gusto.Somerset 102-3, trail by 28.Broad (157) and Saif Zaib (196) are continuing to make the Kent fielders suffer, as Northants steam pass 700.

Essex in deep, deep trouble, after Ben Coad removes Harmer, and White sneaks through Critchley and Allison (brought back down to earth in this game) soon afterwards.Now 46-6Wayne Madsen is still there, on 77, but Lancs are just three wickets away from that elusive win.That didn’t take long.They will follow on, 458 behind, and with a minimum of 70 overs to survive.Mental fortitude the key here