The defending champions took a 20-point lead into this week’s remaining spherical of fixtures, needing simply 5 extra to safe the title outright for the twenty first time.
Three of these have been accrued in bowling bonuses on day considered one of their assembly with Hampshire on the Ageas Bowl, and whereas Liam Dawson’s five-for denied the guests the batting bonus factors wanted to seal the deal on day two, Essex have been left needing to attain not less than 400 of their first innings reply to Northants’ 369 to maintain the strain on.
Beginning day three on 125 for 4, Tom Westley’s males misplaced their remaining six wickets for simply shy of 100 runs to be skittled for 211 earlier than lunch, permitting Surrey to return to the sphere after a rain delay at Hampshire realizing the trophy might be theirs whatever the outcomes in both match.
Gareth Batty’s aspect trailed Hampshire by 12 first-innings runs on the halfway stage and had made early breakthroughs to take away openers Toby Albert and Fletcha Middleton within the residence aspect’s second innings.
Essex, in the meantime, have been requested to comply with on at Northants, whose poor season is ending with a flourish after they dominated Surrey at The Oval final week however have been pressured to accept a draw as a result of torrential rain.
