Somerset check Notts' title charge

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Nottinghamshire’s LV= County Championship title hopes were dealt a hefty blow as they slipped to a resounding 10-wicket defeat against Somerset inside three days at Taunton.

Notts went into the match trailing leaders Yorkshire by six points, but they failed miserably to make best use of one of their two games in hand as Somerset romped to a fourth win in five outings to reignite their championship ambitions.

The visitors lost 15 wickets in the day, bowled out for 339 after resuming on 278 for five and then just 190 following on.

If Charl Willoughby did the damage this morning, taking four wickets to finish with 6-101 in the first innings, Alfonso Thomas underlined Somerset’s dominance with 5-40 in the second.

A victory target of 13 did not trouble Somerset, for whom victory lifted them to third in the table - just 12 points adrift of Notts and 13 of Yorkshire.

Division Two leaders Sussex pressed home their advantage over Leicestershire to wrap up an innings-and-19-run win at Grace Road.

The hosts’ plight was already perilous when they resumed their second innings on 59 for four, trailing by 116, but they failed to make Sussex bat again as they managed a meagre 156.

Corey Collymore benefited to the tune of 6-48, with Jacques Du Toit’s 81 comfortably the highest score in a Leicestershire innings that saw only one other player pass 10.

Northamptonshire completed a remarkable four-wicket victory over Worcestershire to maintain the pressure on Sussex at the top of the table.

Somerset's Charl Willoughby claimed 6-101 to help bowl Nottinghamshire out for 339, before setting their second-innings collapse in motion at Taunton

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Worcestershire failed to add significantly to their overnight 72 for eight as they were bundled out for 93, leaving Northants, who conceded a first-innings deficit of 129, chasing 223 to win.

Alex Wakely top-scored in their occasionally tense pursuit with a mature 68, while Northants were also thankful for useful contributions from David Sales (46), Stephen Peters (37) and debutant Rob Newton (33).

Middlesex wasted little time in wrapping up a comprehensive victory over Surrey at Lord’s which lifted them off the bottom of Division Two.

Middlesex needed just over an hour to claim the remaining four Surrey wickets, the visitors bowled out for 212 as they careered to an innings-and-44-run defeat.

To compound Surrey’s woes, they took a solitary point from the match after having two deducted for a slow over-rate.

Back in Division One, Lancashire were indebted to Tom Smith as they mounted a valiant response against Hampshire at the Rose Bowl.

Dominic Cork followed up his first-innings haul of 4-57 with a combative unbeaten 54 against his former employers to carry Hampshire to 369 - and a lead of 86.

However, Smith batted through 52 overs to the close in making 60 not out, by which time Lancashire were 106 for one.

Essex aroused their seemingly faint hopes of victory over Kent thanks to a stunning display with the ball at Caternbury.

The visitors surrendered a first-innings advantage of 141 to Kent after being bowled out for 279, but Andy Carter’s 5-40 was the catalyst for skittling Kent for 135, which represented something of a recovery from 68 for seven.

Essex were therefore left chasing 277 to win, a target which had been reduced by 48 at the close for the loss of Mark Pettini.

Mark Cosgrove’s hundred ensured Glamorgan’s Division Two clash with Gloucestershire at Cheltenham remains delicately poised.

The Australian hit 123 off 124 balls to lead Glamorgan to 283 for seven on the second day, transforming a first-innings deficit of 27 into a more than handy lead of 256.