• County round-up

Compton denies Middlesex at Lord's

Nick Compton was dropped on 43 © PA Photos

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Somerset's Nick Compton held firm for four-and-a-half hours at Lord's to prevent his former county Middlesex assuming top spot in Division One of the LV= County Championship. Needing 191 to avoid an innings defeat, Somerset had reached 227 for seven when the two teams shook hands on a draw at 6:05pm.

With rain delaying the start by 75 minutes, Middlesex turned down the chance of securing maximum batting points in favour of having another crack at Somerset with the ball. Somerset enjoyed a moment of good fortune when Compton was dropped at second slip off Corey Collymore on 43, and he moved to an 81-ball 50 with a glanced four just before tea.

With the aid of Peter Trego, Compton effectively ended Middlesex's hopes of pulling off a memorable victory. In the end, Middlesex took 10 points from the match to Somerset's four.

Luke Wells justified his recall with his second hundred of the season to give Sussex a chance of forcing victory over Surrey at Horsham. The 21-year-old left-hander, whose father Alan captained the county and scored more than 30,000 runs, made 127 - his second hundred of the season against Surrey - to lead a tremendous lower-order fightback by his side.

From 87 for six they rallied to 351 all out and when Surrey went in again trailing by 227 they lost opener Jason Roy before reaching stumps on 39 for one.

Kyle Hogg and Simon Kerrigan struck season-best scores to move Lancashire within sight of a fourth bonus point against frustrated Nottinghamshire in their clash at Trent Bridge. The last-wicket pair put together an unbeaten stand of 70 - the highest of the match so far - to keep out the home seamers with ease on a rain-ruined third day.

The main aim for Hogg (44 not out) and Kerrigan (22 not out) when they finally took to the crease at 4.30pm was to pass 300 and earn the Red Rose county a third batting point. They achieved that easily enough, advancing the total to 321 for nine in the 12.5 overs of play possible before the players came off for a second, terminal spell of bad light.

No play was possible on the final day of Durham's match against Warwickshire at Chester-le-Street, denying the hosts the chance of their first win of the season. They were 227 ahead with three wickets standing in their second innings, but have now arrived at the halfway stage of their programme with only 36 points. At the same stage last season they had 139.

In Division Two, promotion-chasing Derbyshire had to settle for eight points from their clash with Leicestershire after the match was abandoned as a draw without a ball being bowled on the final day at Grace Road. Top-of-the-table Derbyshire were well in command having bowled out Leicestershire for 177 and reached 259 for five in their reply, with Dan Redfern left stranded 19 runs short of a third Championship century of the season.

A century from Hampshire opener Liam Dawson finally gave the faithful something to applaud in the clash at Tunbridge Wells which will see them go into the final day against Kent on 229 for six in the first innings of a rain-ruined game. After four inspections, play finally got underway at 4pm with the visitors resuming on 90 for three.

Glamorgan and Yorkshire suffered a second consecutive day's wash-out of their match at Colwyn Bay. Both clubs have brought up unwanted landmarks: Glamorgan have now lost 1,046 overs of Championship cricket this season to Yorkshire's 1,055. No play has been possible since the first afternoon which saw Glamorgan reach 117 for three from 34 overs.

More awful weather ensured that the third day of the match between Northamptonshire and Essex was washed out without a ball being bowled. It means England international Ravi Bopara will have to wait until Saturday to try and make his second century in a week when he resumes on 87 with his team on 195 for four.

Elsewhere, Worcestershire recorded a nine-wicket thumping of Clydesdale Bank 40 Group A leaders Holland at Sportpark Westvliet. After the contest was reduced to 39 overs per side due to the inclement weather, Gareth Andrew and Jack Shantry took three wickets apiece as Holland were all out for 57 in 23.2 overs. Worcestershire easily reached their target after 13.1 overs, with Vikram Solanki's unbeaten 39 off 40 deliveries showing the home batsmen how it is done.

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