A round of fixtures in the County Championship concluded on Monday, with Warwickshire and Nottinghamshire the big beneficiaries on the points table. Gareth Stevens reports.

Warwickshire beat Somerset by 215 runs at Taunton. The hosts were never in the game as their bowlers struggled. Alfonso Thomas tried hard, taking 4-143 in the match, but never looked threatening. The batsmen had similar troubles, being dismissed for 188 in the final innings to suffer a heavy defeat at home.

Northamptonshire suffered another defeat, this time by five wickets to Nottinghamshire in Northampton. Despite Andrew Hall‘s best efforts, scoring 67 in the third innings, Notts chased down the target of 211 with ease on the final day.

Lancashire beat Durham by one wicket in Manchester. Both sides scored decent totals in their first dig, but the third innings of the match brought the game to life. Keaton Jennings once again didn’t capitalise on a good start, falling for 20, as Durham were dismissed for 187.

Lancashire needed 107 for victory, but their top order imploded on a tired pitch. Ashwell Prince managed just six, after scoring a fighting century in the first innings to set up the game. It was a tense finish, but Simon Kerrigan’s unbeaten 14 at No 11 took the hosts home.

Essex beat Glamorgan by 63 runs in Swansea. The pivotal point came when Glamorgan only managed 161 in their first innings. Jacques Rudolph made just 16 in that innings, but the middle order once again struggled for runs and the Welsh club were on the back foot from that point onwards. The team is too reliant on the opening batsman and paid the price in this encounter.

The results have seen Nottinghamshire and Warwickshire move into second and third on the Division One standings, respectively. Northamptonshire still haven’t won a match in 12 attempts and are a long way off the pace in last position.

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