Recap the action from the final day of the fourth round of the LV= County Championship where Leicestershire and Kent battled till the end for a draw; Northants secured a stalemate against Lancashire, while Scott Elstone scored his maiden first-class century in Derbyshire's draw against Glamorgan.
By Matt Somerford and Bibhash Dash
6.38pm - Let's take a look back at the action from today
Division Two
Rob Keogh and Steven Crook both got centuries as Northamptonshire did more than enough to get the draw against Lancashire, on a windy day at Wantage Road.
Scott Elstone got a maiden hundred for Derbyshire, who had to wait until the afternoon to begin day four against Glamorgan, with the game eventually ending in a draw at the SWALEC Stadium.
Leicestershire's wait for a win continues despite a spirited display to pick up seven wickets against Kent, for whom Daniel Bell-Drummond scored 103, as the draw came after the closest of finishes in the final over of the day.
6.24pm - RESULT! Kent (268 & 273/7) have drawn with Leicestershire (386 & 196) at The Spitfire Ground.
Well, after we've all caught our collective breath, we can reflect on what an awesome game of cricket that was. Swinging one way then the other, with Kent at one point going for the win through Bell-Drummond's century. Leicestershire beautifully fought back through Shreck and a tense game, perhaps fittingly, ends honours-even.
The game has been drawn. We are getting closer to the win. We fought all the way until the end. Thanks for all of your support
— Leicestershire CCC (@leicsccc) May 6, 2015
6.20pm - Final over. McKay to bowl it. Strap in.
6.15pm - Billings then bats out another maiden, this time off McKay. Leicestershire will have to go full pelt in these last two overs!
Two overs left. A hat-trick would be useful!
— Leicestershire CCC (@leicsccc) May 6, 2015
6.07pm - Is it now a case of survival for Kent? Mitchell Claydon plays out the wicket maiden from Shreck to leave it 48 required from three overs.
6.04pm - WICKET! Matt Coles is out giving former Kent man Shreck his best figures for Leicestershire.
WICKET | Shreck has been terrific today, that's his four-for. Hill takes the catch and Coles is out
— Leicestershire CCC (@leicsccc) May 6, 2015
6.01pm - Billings does not shy away from a bit of attacking cricket, carting McKay to the boundary and now we have four overs to go with 48 required. Anybody got any nails left?
5.55pm - Effectively, two new batsmen at the crease now. 60 required with five overs to go.
5.51pm - Never a dull moment in a run chase like this. Another wicket falls as Stevens, nearly run out earlier, is caught behind off Shreck for 34. The Foxes have got their tails up now!
Stevens c Hill b Shreck 34. Kent 253/6 (65.2 ov) http://t.co/rm8I7avwoD#KENvLEI
— Kent Cricket (@kentcricket) May 6, 2015
5.49pm - Right, is it squeaky bum time yet? Sam Billings and Stevens at the crease. This could go down to the wire.
5.45pm - WICKET! And it's a big one. Bell-Drummond departs after his long innings, with McKay finally exacting his revenge. The centurion is caught by Raine. The wicket comes just one ball after Kent made it to 250.
Kent require 65 off 40 balls. Leics need 5 wickets
— Leicestershire CCC (@leicsccc) May 6, 2015
5.39pm - CENTURY for Bell-Drummond! His fifth career hundred comes with a single off McKay. 100 in 186 deliveries for the Kent batsman.
5.32pm - Stevens forces the issue further with three more fours, this time off Ben Raine. Tense scenes as Kent now need 82 off 10 overs.
5.26pm - It could be a straight shoot-out from here on. Darren Stevens takes charge of proceedings with back-to-back fours off McKay and a Bell-Drummond boundary in the same over brings the required runs to 96.
5.16pm - WICKET! Northeast's resistence comes to an end for Kent. McKay traps him lbw for 37.
Northeast lbw b McKay 37. 57-run 4th wkt stand. Kent 202-4 (57.2 ov). DBD 92*. Min. 14 more overs to play http://t.co/rm8I7avwoD#KENvLEI
— Kent Cricket (@kentcricket) May 6, 2015
5.12pm - Kent have broken the 200 mark in the second innings, as Sam Northeast strikes a four towards that cause. The clock is ticking with 14 overs left!
5.10pm - We have a minimum of 15 overs left in the day at Canterbury. A quick few wickets for Leicestershire will make things very interesting going into the final hour.
5.05pm - It's still all hands on deck for Leicestershire who are plugging away at Kent. The hosts need another 121 for the win, while Leicestershire need seven wickets.
4.55pm - RESULT! Glamorgan (103/4d) have drawn with Derbyshire (205 & 209/2) at the SWALEC Stadium - The inevitable has been agreed upon. After so much rain it was always going to be a draw in Cardiff. Scott Elstone gets to his ton before the players shake hands.
55.0: #CENTURY! A maiden first-class century for @scottelstone (103*) off 131 balls. Very well batted Scott! #P2bDpic.twitter.com/3H9Bs3uNpl
— Derbyshire CCC (@DerbyshireCCC) May 6, 2015
Kent are 176-3. Into the last 20 overs, Kent require 139, County need seven wickets.
— Leicestershire CCC (@leicsccc) May 6, 2015
4.46pm - RESULT! Northamptonshire (385 & 391/5) have drawn with Lancashire (436) at Wantage Road - They were waiting for Crook to get to his century before both skippers shake hands and agree on the draw. Northants batted through the final day without alarm to deny Lancashire their third successive win to start the season.
51.0: Derbyshire move on to 181-2 as the game meanders towards the inevitable conclusion. Elstone 82*, Madsen 65*. Lead is 283 #GLAvDER
— Derbyshire CCC (@DerbyshireCCC) May 6, 2015
4.37pm - Century for Crook! The Aussie all-rounder gets there from 90 balls with 11 fours and a six. He came into the Northants side after David Willey was left out to preparare for England's one-dayer against Ireland on Friday. It'll be hard to leave him out now!
4.30pm - Lancashire have thrown the ball to Alviro Petersen. Steven Crook is 12 runs away from a century he will be doubly keen to complete after falling just short in the first innings.
WICKET | Nash lbw Taylor 49, Kent 145-3
— Leicestershire CCC (@leicsccc) May 6, 2015
43.3: #FIFTY! Madsen gets a single to bring up his half-century. Derbyshire 151-2; Elstone 68*, Madsen 50* #GLAvDERpic.twitter.com/UDx6hmiLaT
— Derbyshire CCC (@DerbyshireCCC) May 6, 2015
4.01pm - Daniel Bell-Drummond brings up his half-century. It hasn't been the quickest fifty he'll score, but it hasn't needed to be. Kent are on course to save the game.
Lancs have taken the second new ball, which has been handed to Luis Reece mid-over. Northants 316-5, Crook 53, Cobb 32
— Lancashire CCC (@LancsCCC) May 6, 2015
3.44pm - And it looks like tea has been taken at the SWALEC as well, with Elstone and Madsen taking Derbyshire to 141 for two with a lead of 243 against Glamorgan.
3.40pm - More good news for Derbyshire and Elstone, who calmly goes past a personal landmark he crossed last season against Gloucestershire.
40.5: #CAREERBEST! @scottelstone moves on to 65*, surpassing his previous best first-class score of 63. Well batted Scott! #GLAvDER#P2bD
— Derbyshire CCC (@DerbyshireCCC) May 6, 2015
3.34pm - Play still on at the SWALEC where Elstone and Madsen have made it a 100-run partnership between them. Elstone has swiftly moved on to 63 since reaching his half-century.
3.30pm - Tea at Kent as well. Leicestershire still need those eight wickets, while Kent are on 99 and need another 216 runs to win.
3.26pm - Another half-century to clock in. Crook does so for Northants, his 18th half-century of his career.
NHANTS 304-5 . Lead 252. pic.twitter.com/b3yCiBDkac
— Northants Cricket (@NorthantsCCC) May 6, 2015
But it's mixed news after that as the players have gone off for bad light. Which signals an early tea break.
3.20pm - Brendon Nash and Bell-Drummond are also doing their job well for Kent. The 50-run partnership comes up as they move towards the team 100. Another 219 now required against Leicestershire.
3.16pm - And that's 50 for Elstone! A four takes the young man past the landmark in 67 balls. He made his Derbyshire debut last season. Progression!
35.1: #FIFTY! @scottelstone brings up his fifty off 65 balls, 5 fours. Batted Scott! #DCCC 115-2; lead by 217 #P2bDpic.twitter.com/shfxezukxZ
— Derbyshire CCC (@DerbyshireCCC) May 6, 2015
3.11pm - Cobb and Crook compile 52 together for the sixth Northants wicket. Relatively brisk at just above four-an-over. The lead goes to 237.
3.05pm - Derbyshire stretch their lead past 200 - as the second-innings score also crosses 100. Northants meanwhile are also motoring along nicely as Crook picks up three more boundaries to hurt Tom Bailey's bowling figures a bit more. A healthy lead of 226 for the hosts against Lancashire.
2.55pm - In case you missed it yesterday, James Harris picked up nine (yes, nine) wickets for Middlesex as they completely demolished Durham's batting. ecb.co.uk's Andy Wilson charted his eventful journey towards success in this feature, which also includes highlights of Harris' brilliant day at Lord's.
2.50pm - Madsen and Scott Elstone have put together a 50-run partnership for Derbyshire. Elstone does the honours with a four off Carter. Nice recovery for the visitors at the SWALEC, with Glamorgan taking their foot off the gas.
2.42pm - Steven Crook raises the scoring rate for Northants, taking back-to-back fours off Clark. Josh Cobb then takes a boundary off Kerrigan to take their lead to 200. A slight shower sweeps Wantage Road but it's not enough to cause any delay.
2.33pm - Hurrah for Bell-Drummond! He helps Kent avoid going five straight maiden overs by taking a single off Ben Raine in the nick of time. Slowly the scoreboard goes past 50 for the hosts.
2.30pm - Keogh, what have you done? Reaches his century and then departs very next over:
Keogh gone! Another wicket for Clark, and it's the centurion. Caught long-leg by Bailey for 100. Northants 235-5, leading by 184 #NORvLAN
— Lancashire CCC (@LancsCCC) May 6, 2015
2.27pm - Keogh marches his way to a century for Northants. Does so with a four off Simon Kerrigan:
Great knock from Rob Keogh, 146 balls 11x4 2x6. pic.twitter.com/Ve6KaOky9R
— Northants Cricket (@NorthantsCCC) May 6, 2015
Elsewhere, make that four-straight maidens for Leicestershire...
2.19pm - It's that stage of the afternoon probably. Leicestershire have just run through two-straight maidens as Kent look to dig in, again. A sign of things to come?
2.17pm - Persistence will be key for Lancashire:
Kerrigan continues as Lancs search for wicket number five. Northants 220-4, leading by 169. 54 overs remain in the match. Keogh on 90.
— Lancashire CCC (@LancsCCC) May 6, 2015
2.09pm - Oooh err, it's a bit too slow for Slater's liking though. He smacks a full toss from Dean Cosker straight to Colin Ingram at midwicket. Derbyshire 32 for two.
Play has resumed at Canterbury as Bell-Drummond welcomes that news with a four off McKay.
2.06pm - Let's hope the delay is not too long. Meanwhile, Derbyshire are on the slow path to recover after that early wicket. Two runs in three overs before Wayne Madsen hits Craig Meschede to the boundary.
2.01pm - Oh dear! There's a rain delay at Canterbury. Kent will definitely be the happier of two sides for that as it comes not long after Key's wicket.
Persistent drizzle brings the players off and then back on again. Groundsmen struggling in the gusts. Kent 40-2. http://t.co/i4UzoCbV25
— Kent Cricket (@kentcricket) May 6, 2015
1.55pm - Shreck is on song for Leicestershire, as he traps Rob Key lbw for wicket number two. Hope rises for the Foxes with Kent on 40 for two and still needing another 275.
1.50pm - Lancashire have struck early:
Rossington gone! He's been caught at cover by Croft off Kerrigan for 23, and Northants are 191-4 now, lead of 140. #NORvLAN
— Lancashire CCC (@LancsCCC) May 6, 2015
And it's a wicket also at the SWALEC where Derbyshire have lost opener Chesney Hughes lbw to Hogan. The visitors are 20 for one.
1.43pm - Steady start for Derbyshire who extend their lead to 116 with 64 overs remaining. Andy Carter and Michael Hogan with the ball for Glamorgan.
1.39pm - Under way for Northants and Lancs:
Croft bowling to Keogh as we begin the final afternoon session. Northants 171-3 in the 52nd over. Lead is 120 now #NORvLAN
— Lancashire CCC (@LancsCCC) May 6, 2015
1.33pm - All happening at the moment for Kent, for whom Bell-Drummond and Denly crack a four each off Shreck, who then exacts his revenge by bowling the latter two balls later. Kent 20 for one.
1.27pm - On cue! It's great news from the SWALEC Stadium.
#PLAY: Finally some cricket as @ChesneyH22 and @BennySlats stride to the middle to start Derbyshire's second innings #GLAvDER#P2bD
— Derbyshire CCC (@DerbyshireCCC) May 6, 2015
1.24pm - As we wait for the other two teams to hopefully kick things off for the afternoon session, it's a good time to mention you can take a look back at the international career of Jonathan Trott, with our photo gallery, a list that includes his debut, Ashes successes and some cake-cutting in Ahmedabad.
1.17pm - It's a big run chase in store should Kent decide to go full pelt. McKay, who got six in the first innings, and Charlie Shreck do the opening bowling honours for Leicestershire.
1.10pm - Kent are looking good for their word.
The umpires are out. Maximum 73 overs left with Denly+Bell-Drummond opening the innings for Kent. Scorecard: http://t.co/rm8I7avwoD#KENvLEI
— Kent Cricket (@kentcricket) May 6, 2015
1.03pm - Here is a round-up of the scores at lunch:
Division Two
Leicestershire lost their final two wickets to be bowled out for 196 in the short time before the rain arrived to force an early lunch. Kent will need 315 when play is due to resume at 1.10pm.
Stephen Peters passed 14,000 first-class runs and was the only wicket to fall in the session as Northamptonshire progressed to 170 for three to give them a lead of 119 runs against Lancashire at Wantage Road.
No play was possible at the SWALEC Stadium this morning to leave Derbyshire still waiting to start their second innings after Glamorgan declared 102 runs behind. A start time of 1.25pm has been set.
And that's lunch: Lancs could have done with a few more wickets. Northants 170-3 from 51 overs = lead of 119 with two sessions left.
— Lancashire CCC (@LancsCCC) May 6, 2015
#UPDATE: We will have some cricket on Day Four with play due to start at 13.25pm. 68 overs left in the match #GLAvDER#P2bD
— Derbyshire CCC (@DerbyshireCCC) May 6, 2015
12.47pm - Adam Rossington strikes Clark to the ropes after Northants had hit a bit of a lull following Peters' exit. Rob Keogh then ends the over by putting Clark into the seats and the lead is over 100.
That towering six brings up Keogh's half-century, from 99 balls.
12.34pm - Peters falls for 81. Simon Kerrigan holds on in the deep from Jordan Clark's bowling and Northants are 138 for three - that's a lead of 87 runs.
The covers are coming off. Lunch to be taken at 12.30pm with a view to restarting at 1.10pm. http://t.co/75vhZix6Cj
— Kent Cricket (@kentcricket) May 6, 2015
12.04am - They will take an early 12.30pm lunch at the SWALEC Stadium.
There is set to be an inspection at Canterbury in the next few minutes where the weather is clearing.
11.52am - Play is due to begin shortly at Wantage Road with Northants 103 for two.
#UPDATE: The covers are off at Cardiff. An inspection will once again be held by the two umpires at midday #P2bD#GLAvDER
— Derbyshire CCC (@DerbyshireCCC) May 6, 2015
Players are coming off due to rain with Northants at 103-2 in the 32nd over.
— Lancashire CCC (@LancsCCC) May 6, 2015
11.37am - With rain keeping the players off in Cardiff and Canterburyhere are the highlights from yesterday to keep you entertained. Follow the blue link in each match to get to the video and reports.
#YCCC England trio will fly back on a chartered plane on Fri night after @Irelandcricket ODI http://t.co/JGxETZF2eBpic.twitter.com/uACe40wfTB
— Yorkshire CCC (@Yorkshireccc) May 6, 2015
11.29am - Peters brings up his half-century off 85 balls. Northants have scored at a steady pace this morning.
11.25am - After those two quick Leicestershire wickets they have been bowled out for 196. Ivan Thomas returns his Championship-best figures of 4-48.
The bad news is that it is now raining at Canterbury. Quite a lot of rain.
TARGET | Kent will require 315 to win from a minimum of 91 overs. Leicestershire require ten wickets
— Leicestershire CCC (@leicsccc) May 6, 2015
Thomas strikes. Taylor c Coles b Thomas 34. Leics 193/9. http://t.co/rm8I7avwoD#KENvLEI
— Kent Cricket (@kentcricket) May 6, 2015
11.05am - There will be a pitch inspection at the SWALEC Stadium at 11.30am. There is drizzle in the air though.
Play has resumed on time at the Spitfire Ground, Canterbury with Leicestershire resuming on 193 for eight. There has been some suggestion they might consider an overnight declaration. Rule that out. They're batting.
Great achievement by Stephen Peters. @pedropeters222pic.twitter.com/hv40TlAebj
— Northants Cricket (@NorthantsCCC) May 6, 2015
10.45am - Despite the rain continuing to fall in Cardiff the news is better further north. We are going to get a prompt start at Wantage Road
10.30am - Could this be the day Leicestershire end their long wait for a Championship win?
The Foxes will certainly hope so, if not just to stop people asking whether this will be the day they end their long wait for a Championship win every time they are in control of a match. Kent will have plenty to say about that and we might just have to factor in the weather as well.
Here's a run down of wher the game stands at the Spitfire Ground, Canterbury as well as the other two remaining matches.
Division Two
Leicestershire lead by 307 runs, with two wickets in hand, after Clint McKay led some much-needed lower-order resistence against Kent.
Northamptonshire resume on42 for two and trailing Lancashire by nine runs after the Red Rose claimed an unlikely first-innings lead at Wantage Road.
Rain has thwarted the match at the SWALEC Stadium, however, Glamorgan skipper Jacques Rudolph's decision to declare 102 runs behind last night has iopened up the possibility of a result against Derbyshire.
START DELAYED: With the rain this morning the umpires have decided to inspect the pitch at 11am. #GlavDer#countycricketlive
— Glamorgan Cricket (@GlamCricket) May 6, 2015