Southampton: Hampshire 219 and 172 v Surrey 207 and 112-6 Surrey need 73 to win

Canterbury: Kent 494 v Lancashire 327 and 126-0

County Ground: Northamptonshire 369 BEAT Essex 211 and 119 by an innings and 39 runs

Trent Bridge: Nottinghamshire 384 v Middlesex 366 and 10-0

Edgbaston: Warwickshire 273 v Somerset 215 and 90-2

DIVISION TWO

Chester-le-Street: Durham 457-8dec v Leicestershire 143 and 13-0 CLOSE

Sophia Gardens: Glamorgan 301-5dec v Derbyshire 450-8dec and 68-0

Hove: Sussex 202 and 505-7dec v Gloucestershire 195 and 113-5 Gloucs need 400 to win

Headingley: Yorkshire 262-6dec v Worcestershire 389 and 18-2

Southampton: Hampshire 219 and 172 v Surrey 207 and 96-5 Surrey need 89 to win

Canterbury: Kent 494 v Lancashire 327 and 126-0 CLOSE

County Ground: Northamptonshire 369 BEAT Essex 211 and 119 by an innings and 39 runs

Trent Bridge: Nottinghamshire 384 v Middlesex 366 and 10-0 bad lights stops play

Edgbaston: Warwickshire 273 v Somerset 215 and 90-2 bad light stops play

DIVISION TWO

Chester-le-Street: Durham 457-8dec v Leicestershire 143 and 13-0 CLOSE

Sophia Gardens: Glamorgan 301-5dec v Derbyshire 450-8dec and 13-0

Hove: Sussex 202 and 505-7dec v Gloucestershire 195 and 86-4

Headingley: Yorkshire 262-6dec v Worcestershire 389 and 18-2 CLOSE

Completely belying their finishing places in the table.

This is all happening far too quickly. Essex now nine down in Northampton too.

A low-key farewell indeed.

(if it is farewell).

Southampton: Hampshire 219 and 67-2 v Surrey 207

Canterbury: Kent 447-8 v Lancashire 327

County Ground: Northamptonshire 369 v Essex 211 and 0-1

Trent Bridge: Nottinghamshire 201-3 v Middlesex 366

Edgbaston: Warwickshire 225-6 v Somerset 215

DIVISION TWO

Chester-le-Street: Durham 457-8dec v Leicestershire 96-6

Sophia Gardens: Glamorgan 143-2 v Derbyshire 450-8dec

Hove: Sussex 202 and 352-4 v Gloucestershire 195

Headingley: Yorkshire 93-4 v Worcestershire 398

And off they come, for a very slightly early lunch. Hampshire’s batters lurk before the boundary rope, and Surrey’s players wait for Rory Burns to lead them off the field. He pulls off his floppy hat, puts a self-conscious hand through his (now short) hair)and crosses the line, where Alec Stewart is waiting in regulation royal blue Surrey jersey. He hand slaps and hugs each player in turn.

They’ve done it! At 12.25, as Jamie Porter is bowled by Taylor for 0 at an almost empty Northampton, Essex are all out 189 runs short of the 400 they needed to stay in the race. With a delay of about five seconds, applause rings around the Rose Bowl, Will Jacks pulls out of his delivery stride, and Gubbins and Vince clap along.

Essex must follow on.

Kent now favourites to avoid the drop, as a Tom Bailey no ball takes them to a precious 350.

A wicket at the Ageas, Albert LBW to Worrall, but more importantly a wicket at Northampton, where Walter has been bowled after adding only five runs. Essex need an Adam Rossington miracle.

If Essex don’t make 400 in 110 overs, Surrey win today.

If Kent get 350 today, Middlesex need maximum bowling points PLUS a better final result than Kent achieve at Canterbury.

A delayed start at Durham and Headingley, floodlights on around the grounds.

A very happy retirement to Simon Kerrigan, destined to be remembered in quizzes for that nightmarish Test debut at The Oval in 2013, but so much better than that.

Southampton: Hampshire 219 and 1-0 v Surrey 207

Canterbury: Kent 345-4 v Lancashire 327

County Ground: Northamptonshire 369 v Essex 125-4

Trent Bridge: Nottinghamshire 92-2 v Middlesex 366

Edgbaston: Warwickshire 112-3 v Somerset 215

DIVISION TWO

Chester-le-Street: Durham 457-8dec v Leicestershire 96-6

Sophia Gardens: Glamorgan 22-0 v Derbyshire 450-8dec

Hove: Sussex 202 and 256-3 v Gloucestershire 195

Headingley: Yorkshire 24-0 v Worcestershire 398

And so the wait to crown the season’s county champions goes on, as the excellence of Hampshire’s Liam Dawson kept a firm lid on Surrey.

To tie down the title yesterday, Surrey needed to make 300 runs, thereby collecting two batting points – in fact they were bowled out for 207, with not a single batting point. Dawson, with five for 44, made the ball spit and fizz, while Mohammad Abbas finished with three.

Surrey’s batting faltered as it did against Northamptonshire at the Oval last week, with only Sai Sudharsan and Jordan Clark making more than 25. Sudharsan moved to his first half-century for Surrey, patient and stylish in just his second match.

It was possible for Surrey to have won if second-placed Essex had fallen in a heap against Northamptonshire, but Tom Westley and Paul Walter ensured that the dream of maximum batting points remained at least a theoretical achievement. But theoretical it looked, after Ben Sanderson removed Alastair Cook, Nick Browne and Dan Lawrence in nine miserly overs.

Six years to the day that they were last promoted, Worcestershire secured second spot and will join Durham in Division One next season. A team that regularly travels between the two divisions, Worcestershire’s golden moment came when Josh Baker dabbed Matt Milnes through the covers for two, to sporting applause from Yorkshire. Joe Denly’s first century of the year kept Kent’s hopes of avoiding relegation alive against Lancashire; Ryan Higgins did the same for Middlesex against Nottinghamshire, knitting the innings together with 107.

Good morning! The sweet chestnut trees outside my window muffle the noise of the traffic on the dual carriageway outside the Rose Bowl, as Surrey stiffen their sinews for the final push. Today, surely, the Championship is theirs. Essex may have other plans, but they’ll have to pull out the superhero suits quickly to do it. And the trapdoor still awaits either Middlesex or Kent. We will follow it all here – for the penultimate time this season. Play starts at 10.30am.