Surrey win again as Essex and Notts enhance promotion prospects

Champions Surrey showed exactly why they are due to receive the trophy for winning the title at The Oval next week as they overwhelmed Hampshire by 123 runs. Declaring at their overnight total of 422 for eight, they bowled Hampshire out for 390. Nic Pothas came within one run of a maiden championship century, Neil Johnson scored 86 and Dimitri Mascarenhas 67, but the day's match-winners belonged to Surrey. Martin Bicknell took five wickets and Ian Salisbury four to seal the champions' victory.

Lancashire's batsmen did not prove much of an obstacle to Kent. Starting the day on 224 for three, they might have expected to set a larger target than they did by being bowled out for 351. Mark Chilton added only one to his overnight score to be out for 90, and apart from a little flourish at the end, Kent only needed 144 to win. They lost four wickets in doing so, with Ed Smith top scorer with 68.

The other Division One match still has a day to run, with Yorkshire, desperate for points to avoid relegation, leading by just 54 runs with five wickets standing. There were fifties for Richard Blakey and Richard Dawson in the first innings, when Mark Wagh took five wickets, but Yorkshire had to follow on. Matt Elliott made a brave effort in the second innings with 127 and Anthony McGrath 66, but both are out and it will take a fine effort for Yorkshire to set Warwickshire anything like a testing target.

Essex need just one more point to ensure that they are promoted from Division Two after beating Durham by ten wickets. Durham added 50 runs on the final morning to set Essex 39 to win. The openers knocked those runs off inside nine overs. Meanwhile, Nottinghamshire were doing their promotion prospects a bit of good by finishing Worcestershire off by 114 runs. There were five wickets for Andrew Harris as Worcestershire were bowled out for 134 in their second innings.