Tuesday 9 June 2015 22:18, UK
Derbyshire wrapped up their second win of the season with an emphatic eight-wicket success against Kent with more than a day and two sessions to spare.
Requiring 232 for victory, the visitors resumed on their second-day total of 169-1 and lost Chesney Hughes late in the pursuit for 94, but otherwise suffered no further alarm as Kent slipped to their fourth defeat of the summer in Division Two.
Hughes, who hit 13 fours and a six in his 179-ball stay, was six short of a deserved hundred, having helped add 186 in tandem with second-wicket partner Billy Godleman until an airy leg-side waft allowed Matt Coles to pluck out his middle stump.
Godleman saw the job through with an unbeaten 82, leaving Tillakaratne Dilshan (27 not out) to hit the winning boundary with a trademark over-the-shoulder scoop to fine leg as Derbyshire romped home with 178.4 overs in hand.
Kent took only four points while Derbyshire banked 19 for their first win at the Spitfire Ground, St Lawrence, since April 1999.
A burst of three wickets in the first two overs after lunch put Surrey on their way to a conclusive three-day victory in their match against Leicestershire as they won by 178 runs at Grace Road.
The second ball after the break saw Chris Tremlett bowl Foxes opener Angus Robson and in the following over Leicestershire captain Mark Cosgrove got a brute of a ball from Tom Curran - who is beginning to make a real name for himself. Two balls later, Andrea Agathangelou was leg before to a delivery that seamed back and kept low.
Ned Eckersley (32) and Ben Raine also fought hard, but on a wicket with increasingly variable bounce, the prospect of the home team chasing down the 356 they needed to win the game was always going to be slim, and the end came soon after tea, when James Burke picked up two wickets in two balls, both lbw, to wrap up the victory.
Earlier, Leicestershire made the worst possible start after Surrey added 67 to their overnight score of 217-6, with Steve Davies, batting with a badly bruised hand, finishing with an unbeaten 47.
After the euphoria of ending their long run of 37 Championship matches without a win at Essex the previous week, it is a reminder for Leicestershire that they still have plenty of work to do. Surrey, meanwhile, kept up the pressure on Lancashire at the top of the Division Two table.
Gloucestershire need another 226 runs to win with nine wickets in hand to topple table-topping Lancashire at Bristol on what could be a thrilling final day.
Lancashire began the day on 14-0 and they were bowled out for 253, Craig Miles following up his 5-61 in the first innings by taking 5-60 in the second.
Karl Brown (56) and Ashwell Prince (43) - brilliantly run out by Miles - added 77 for the third wicket and there were important runs down the order from Jordan Clark (48) - not for the first time this season - and Tom Bailey (27no).
That left Gloucestershire a victory target of 252 and they lost Will Tavare for a second-ball duck in the reply, bowled off an inside edge by the prolific Kyle Jarvis, but Chris Dent and Michael Klinger then stood firm, the hosts 26-1 at stumps.
Tom Westley struck an unbeaten 164 and shared in an unbroken partnership of 216 with Jesse Ryder (90 not out) as Essex fought back on day three against Northamptonshire at Wantage Road to close on 300-3 with a lead of 132.
After Northants extended their first innings advantage to 168, despite losing their final four wickets for 40 in the morning, Essex were still 84 runs behind when Westley and Ryder came together shortly after lunch.
Northants had resumed on 397-6 but after bringing up maximum batting points with the fourth delivery of the day, Steven Crook (39) fell to the ninth. Day two hero Richard Levi could only add 11 to his overnight 157no before he went for 168, with Rory Kleinveldt (14) and Olly Stone (20) the last to go as they finished on 444.
Essex lost Jaik Mickleburgh in the third over of their reply without score, trapped lbw by Kleinveldt, and the runs flowed after lunch until Kleinveldt struck twice in two overs - snaring Nick Browne and Ravi Bopara.
At 84-3 Northants may have been dreaming of a three-day win, only for Westley and Ryder to go into over-drive on a batting-friendly pitch.
