Yorkshire hang on for draw in thrilling finale against Nottinghamshire
Yorkshire were forced to hang on for a third consecutive Specsavers County Championship draw after their decision to make a late attempt to chase 320 in 53 overs proved unsuccessful on a thrilling final day against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge.
The White Rose lost Adam Lyth in the first over and appeared to be settling for a stalemate midway through their innings, but a 116-run stand between Alex Lees (107) and Gary Ballance (43) set the platform for a late assault.
Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow and Liam Plunkett injected life into the pursuit with brief cameos but, after Jake Ball and Harry Gurney reduced Yorkshire to 252 for eight, Adil Rashid and Steven Patterson had to shut up shop for the remaining 20 balls.
Harry Gurney set up a nervy finish at Trent Bridge
Stuart Broad trapped Patterson lbw with the fourth ball of the final over, leaving last man Jack Brooks to see out the danger in a dramatic finale.
Yorkshire had their tails up when Brooks had Samit Patel superbly caught in the slips by Root seven balls into the final day, leaving Notts only 122 runs ahead with only four wickets left, only for Chris Read (101) and Broad (55) to share a century stand and lift their side to 348.
Paul Collingwood struck his 32nd first-class ton and Ben Stokes took three early wickets but Durham had to settle for a draw at the Oval.
Surrey were reliant on an 83-run sixth-wicket partnership between Tom Curran and Ben Foakes to get them out of trouble after Stokes reduced them to 65 for three.
Collingwood's unbeaten 106, including 11 fours and a six, had secured Durham a first-innings lead of 150.
Veterans Marcus Trescothick and Chris Rogers steered Somerset to a draw versus Lancashire at Taunton courtesy of an unbroken partnership of 168.
The hosts were struggling on 61 for two, still 119 runs behind, but former England batsman Trescothick hit an unbeaten 129 and ex-Australia international Rogers contributed 75 not out.
Middlesex batsmen Nick Compton and Dawid Malan also needed to stand firm to stop Hampshire in their tracks during the draw at the Ageas Bowl.
Compton and Malan dug in to take their side to 55 for two following two early wickets, after Hampshire set Middlesex a target of 266 by declaring at tea on 290 for five following half-centuries from Adam Wheater and Jimmy Adams.
Kent were the only county to emerge victorious in this round of fixtures, beating Glamorgan by 10 wickets at Canterbury in Division Two, with Daniel Bell-Drummond and debutant Tom Latham becoming the county's first opening pair to register century stands in each knock of a Championship match since 1954.
Having added 131 together in the first innings, Bell-Drummond and New Zealand international Latham completed a comfortable chase of 187 with 86 and 79 respectively.
England Test skipper Alastair Cook struck an unbeaten 48 in his last innings for Division Two leaders Essex before the series with Sri Lanka.
A draw was called at New Road with Essex 95 for two after Worcestershire, for whom Tom Kohler-Cadmore struck an unbeaten 119, declared 40 runs behind on 411 for eight.
Chesney Hughes struck 109 and Billy Godleman hit 94 of Derbyshire's 222 for one in the stalemate with Northamptonshire at Wantage Road.
Chris Nash's second century of the season and a maiden championship fifty from Ross Taylor ensured Sussex drew with Leicestershire at Hove.
