second place in the County

Posted by Tomas on July 16th, 2019

Somerset dropped to second place in the County Championship after suffering a resounding innings-and-73-run defeat to Yorkshire t before lunch on day four at Headingley.

The visitors, replying to 520, were made to follow-on 324 runs behind at tea on day three and started Tuesday on 159 for four, only to lose three wickets inside the first 45 minutes of play.

Somerset were bowled out for 251 and secured only one point from the contest, which opens the door for Essex in the race for the title.

Yorkshire's victory yielded 22 points and kept them just about in the title race with four games still to play. 

Somerset's loss allowed Essex to take over at the top of the County Championship table ahead of the T20 break with a 187-run victory overWawrickshire.

Simon Harmer claimed his seventh five-wicket haul of the season. The South African off-spinner took his season's tally to 64 with his latest return of six for 75.

He had done the damage in the morning session when he took four wickets in 20 balls to rip the heart out of an inexperienced Warwickshire batting line-up

Essex's seventh win in eight games - and sixth in six at Chelmsford - carried them above Somerset by four points with four games to play, including a potential winner-takes-all showdown at Taunton in the final game.

Michael Burgess and Henry Brookes provided some resistance with a half-century stand but the Eagles made it six wins out of six at Chelmsford to place themselves in a strong position for a second title in three years.

Northamptonshire wasted little time in rattling off the wickets needed to complete a fine victory over Derbyshire inside three days at Chesterfield on Tuesday.

Resuming on 155-5, the hosts required 164 additional runs to prevent the loss, but the early wicket of key man Tom Lace for 41 ended any faint hopes.

Luis Reece (33) was the only other batsman to score over 30, with seamer Luke Procter the pick of the bowlers for Northamptonshire - taking 4-26.

The result keeps Northants in the promotion hunt and lifts them up to third, ahead of Derbyshire in the Division Two table.

Meanwhile, Toby Roland-Jones starred as Middlesex secured a third win of the season, a thumping 256-run victory over Glamorgan.

The visitors needed just four more wickets on the start of day four, with Roland-Jones (5-68) taking taking his tally to 19 in two matches with the opening three as the game was sealed inside 90 minutes on the final morning.