Jordan Cox could played a valiant knock against Essex (PC: Twitter)
The 13th round of the ongoing County Championship Division 01 came to a close on Friday.
While Hampshire and Essex consolidated their respective spots by thrashing Northamptonshire and Kent respectively, Lancashire and Gloucestershire had to settle for a draw with Somerset and Yorkshire thanks to unrelenting rain.
Here's a recap of what happened on a wet day 4,
Result: Essex won by an innings & 260 runs
Essex completed their thrashing of Kent on Thursday as they claimed the remaining two 2nd innings to gain crucial championship points.
Having reduced Kent to 137/8 overnight, it did not take much time for Sam Cook to get into the thick of things and wrap up the proceedings swiftly.
He dismissed Matt Milnes for a 72-ball 12 to finish with jaw-dropping figures of 19-9-33-7 before his partner-in-crime, Jamie Porter knocked over Kent's highest scorer, Jordan Cox (65 off 137) to add another wicket to his tally.
Result: Match drawn
The 277th Roses fixture at the Old Trafford ended in an anticlimax as inclement weather and Yorkshire's unrelenting desire to not even have a crack at the run-chase (302 in 84 overs) on a barren pitch put paid to any hopes that Lancashire and their fans would have entertained.
After having launched themselves into a position of dominance on the 3rd afternoon thanks to a blistering ton from opener Luke Wells (124 off 82 deliveries), their bowlers could only manage 3 Yorkshire wickets in 63.2 overs.
Contrast to what Luke Wells and his team did, Yorkshire employed a defensive approach, with their batters adamant at blocking everything.
When play was interrupted, Tom Kohler-Cadmore had blocked his way to a 159-ball 34 while Will Fraine had consumed 83 deliveries for his 18 runs.
Ben Charlesworth [Image Credit- Twitter]
Result: Match drawn
After having eked out a 95-run lead by dismissing Somerset for 248 in the first innings, Gloucestershire strengthened their position with another strong batting performance in the 3rd innings.
Opener Ben Charlesworth scored a patient 207-ball 64 and he was well supported by the duo of Miles Hammond and James Bracey, both of whom notched up a half-century.
Gloucestershire eventually declared on the 4th morning after accumulating a lead of 373 runs but their hopes of claiming their maiden win of the season were put off by the inclement weather at Taunton.
Rain interrupted the proceedings in just the 4th over of Somerset's innings and never went away. The game was eventually called off, with both sides sharing 12 points apiece.
Result: Hampshire won by an innings & 4 runs
Table toppers Hampshire consolidated their numero uno spot in Division 01 as they thumped the Northants by an innings & 4 runs to claim their 9th win of the season.
Having wrestled the advantage back on day 03 thanks to a five-wicket-haul from pacer Kyle Abbott (4-52), Hampshire enforced the follow-on on the Northants.
Northamptonshire once again got off to a great start thanks to a 129-ball 74 from Emilo Gay, but, just like in their 1st innings, once the floodgates opened, the bleeding never stopped.
This time, it was Pakistan seamer Mohammad Abbas and Keith Parker, who instigated the collapse as Northants went from being 1-130 to getting knocked over for 221.
While Abbas claimed four wickets and Barker, 3, the man of the moment was James Fuller, who thwarted Mother Nature as he dismissed No.11 Jack White amid falling rain to seal victory for his team.
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