Sussex close to retaining title

Mushtaq Ahmed dismisses Graeme Hick

Sussex were on the verge of retaining their LV County Championship title after moving within five wickets of victory over Worcestershire at Hove.

After Mushtaq Ahmed took his match haul to 9-157 - 13 Worcestershire wickets falling on day three - Sussex knew only an improbable run chase by Lancashire at the Brit Oval could stop them bagging the silverware again as long as they complete their own victory tomorrow.

Mushtaq - who went past 450 championship wickets for Sussex when he took his fourth of this match - added to his distinctions by getting Graeme Hick out twice on the same day.

Following on 319 runs behind, relegated Worcestershire were 190 for five - thanks largely to Moeen Ali (76no) - when bad light brought an early close.

Durham had faced an agonising wait to see if they have won the title after completing an eight-wicket win over Kent at Canterbury but Sussex’s progress would have left them depressed.

Kent resumed their second innings on the overnight score of 99 for three and lost their remaining seven wickets in just under two hours' play for an addition of 61 runs.

Mark Chilton's Lancashire, who led before the final round of games, face a huge task to beat Surrey.

Mark Ramprakash reaches his second hundred of the match

The Red Rose county require another 462 runs having reached 27 without loss by this evening.

Surrey declared on 295 for five in the final session of the day after Mark Ramprakash added an unbeaten 130 to his first-innings 196.

Yorkshire suffered their seventh complete wash-out of the LV County Championship season when heavy rain prevented any play on the third day of their match with Hampshire at Headingley Carnegie.

In Division Two, Somerset needed just half an hour to wrap up their 10th County Championship win of a golden season on the third day against Nottinghamshire at Taunton.

Essex signed off the season with an emphatic 10-wicket victory against Middlesex at Chelmsford with nearly four sessions to spare.

The visitors, after following-on 194 behind, were bowled out a second time for 246.

This left the home side with the formality of scoring 53 to record their sixth championship success of the campaign and this they did in 17.1 overs.

Derbyshire closed the day at 73 for three, a lead of 223 runs over Northamptonshire after the visitors managed only 235 all out at Derby.

Steve Stubbings remained unbeaten on 46 in Derbyshire’s second innings.

The third day of Glamorgan's final LV County Championship clash against Gloucestershire at Sophia Gardens was abandoned without a ball bowled.