LONDON, Friday - Somerset kept their Division One survival hopes alive, while piling more pressure on bottom side, with a 169-run victory at Edgbaston.
Warwickshire began the final day on 172-6, still needing 230 runs for an unlikely win with only four wickets remaining.
After rain had delayed the start Tim Groenewald (5-58) completed his five-wicket haul to leave Warwickshire 232 all out and 30 points adrift.
Ashley Giles’ Warwickshire, who won the County Championship title as recently as 2012, are now likely to need at least two wins from their final three fixtures, one of which is against sixth-placed Yorkshire.
The match between Championship title challengers Lancashire and Essex at Old Trafford ended as a draw, with further rain affecting the game on day four. There was little prospect of a positive result once Essex, who began 115-4, reached 141 to avoid the follow-on.
The visitors declared on 202-8 to deny Lancashire the chance of a third bowling bonus point, meaning both teams took nine points from the match. Essex remain 36 points clear at the top of Division One with three games left.
Both sides start the first of their remaining matches on Tuesday, with Essex facing bottom club Warwickshire and Lancashire taking on Somerset.
Essex could clinch their first Championship title since 1992 if they win at Edgbaston, but are reliant on Lancashire slipping up at Taunton.
Ben Foakes and Ollie Pope put on a partnership of 158 to help Surrey draw with Hampshire at the Ageas Bowl. Having begun on 135-4, Foakes (83 not out) and Pope (100 not out) batted for the whole of day four before the captains shook hands.
Hampshire are third on 127 points, with Surrey three points behind in fourth.
Yorkshire and Middlesex had to settle for a draw after four rain-affected days in their County Championship game.
Middlesex were 108-3 after rain washed out the morning's play, before Yorkshire seamer Liam Plunkett struck twice to leave them 143-5. Adam Voges’ 58 helped them earn a second batting bonus point as they declared on 272-8.
Yorkshire are 13 points clear of the relegation zone in fifth, level on points with sixth-placed Middlesex.
Worcestershire took a big step towards Division Two promotion and ended Nottinghamshire's unbeaten record with an eight-wicket win at Trent Bridge. The visitors began day four on 123-2, needing another 103 for victory.
Opener Daryl Mitchell, on 63 overnight, reached his sixth County Championship hundred of the season and finished unbeaten on 139 to take Worcestershire to 229-2 before lunch. One win from Worcestershire's final two matches should seal promotion.
Graham Onions became Durham's all-time leading first-class wicket-taker but Sam Billings batted with a migraine to help Kent to a thrilling draw.
Seamer Onions took his 519th wicket to surpass Simon Brown's previous record. But Billings scored 70 not out to back up Sam Northeast's 67, and the away side's last-wicket pair survived a nervy final 11 balls to end on 184-9. Northamptonshire dented Sussex's hopes of reaching Division One by beating them at Wantage Road, to keep their own slim promotion prospects alive.
Sussex added just nine to their overnight score to finish 393 all out, leaving Northants a target of 140.
The hosts stuttered to 93-4, but Richard Levi's unbeaten 54 helped them to 140-4 and a six-wicket victory.
Liam Norwell finished with career-best figures of 8-43 as Gloucestershire comfortably beat Division Two's bottom side Leicestershire at Grace Road.
The hosts began the final day on 154-7, but could only add six more runs as Norwell claimed the final three wickets within the first 35 minutes of play.
English county scores on Friday:
COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP
(fourth day of four)
FIRST DIVISION
* At Southampton: Surrey 200 (R Patel 81, L Dawson 4-22) & 280-4 (O Pope 100 no, B Foakes 83 no, R Burns 63) v Hampshire 290 (G Berg 80, I Holland 51, G Bailey 51, T Curran 4-69)
Hampshire (10pts) drew with Surrey (9pts)
* At Old Trafford: Lancashire 290 (Haseeb Hameed 88, J Porter 5-73) v Essex 202-8 dec (R McLaren 4-45)
Lancashire (9pts) drew with Essex (9pts)
* At Edgbaston: Somerset 282 (T Abell 82, S Singh 5-72, J Patel 4-90) & 265-4 dec (M Trescothick 119 no, J Hildreth 68, T Abell 51) v Warwickshire 146 (K Barker 52, M Leach 5-50, C Overton 4-33) & 232 (I Trott 74, T Groenewald 5-58)
Somerset (21pts) beat Warwickshire (3pts) by 169 runs
* At Headingley: Yorkshire 358 (J Leaning 85, A Hodd 51, T Murtagh 4-77) v Middlesex 272-8 dec (A Voges 65 no)
Yorkshire (11pts) drew with Middlesex (10pts)
SECOND DIVISION
* At Derby: Derbyshire 236-9 (L Reece 53) v Glamorgan
Derbyshire (6pts) drew with Glamorgan (8pts)
* At Chester-le-Street: Durham 217 (M Wood 72 no, W Weighell 55, M Claydon 5-54, A Milne 4-68) & 359-7 dec (T Latham 119, G Clark 86) v Kent 206 (S Northeast 110, G Onions 6-62) & 184-9 (S Billings 70 no, S Northeast 67)
Durham (9pts) drew with Kent (9pts)
* At Grace Road: Leicestershire 222 (M Cosgrove 92, J Shaw 4-54) & 160 (M Cosgrove 68, L Norwell 8-43) v Gloucestershire 368 (J Bracey 63, G Roderick 57, C Dent 57) & 15-0
Gloucestershire (23pts) beat Leicestershire (4pts) by 10 wkts
* At Northampton: Northamptonshire 426 (B Duckett 193, L Procter 57, O Robinson 4-81) & 140-4 (R Levi 54 no) v Sussex 172 (R Kleinveldt 5-50) & 393 (J Archer 81 no, A Robson 72, C Nash 66, D Wiese 61)
Northamptonshire (24pts) beat Sussex (3pts) by 6 wkts
* At Trent Bridge: Nottinghamshire 193 (E Barnard 4-71) & 275 (M Wessels 60, J Leach 5-69) v Worcestershire 243 (E Barnard 55, S Mullaney 4-31) & 229-2 (D Mitchell 139 no)
Worcestershire (20pts) beat Nottinghamshire (3pts) by 8 wkts. – AFP
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