Warwickshire may not have played his week, but they had the greatest reason for celebrating. They now stand eleven points clear at the top of the Championship with a game in hand on their two nearest challengers. Nottinghamshire needed to beat Durham to maintain a serious challenge and came desperately close to doing so. Having been the victims of an extraordinary performance by Graham Onions - dismissing all ten batsmen bowling and throwing - they did well to stay in the contest. Needing 366 to win on the final day, openers Wessels and Hales put on 168 but once the latter was fourth out for 101, wickets fell steadily and, despite Steven Mullaney's gallant efforts, Mark Wood captured the last two in one over and Durham registered their third win of the campaign. As a result, they remain second behind Sussex. They now meet Somerset next week at Taunton.
It was an even closer finish at The Oval, where a late order rally by Middlesex almost produced a great victory. However, Surrey spinners Murali Kartik and Gareth Batty had the edge and the home team eased their relegation worries. In a week when the East baked and the West drowned, there was little play at Worcester, so Worcestershire and Lancashire could only draw and continue to occupy the bottom places in Division One.
Hampshire improved their prospects of replacing one of them by overcoming Northants at Southampton. Set a tough target of 326 in 70-odd overs, Jimmy Adams led his troops with an excellent 149 and Hants now stand in second place, just eight behind Derbyshire. The leaders could take only three points from a rain-affected fixture against third-placed Yorkshire despite an impressive all-round performance by Wes Durston (5-34 and 123 runs) and Usman Khawaja's unbeaten 110 not out in the follow-on.
Rain washed out almost three days' play in Kent's contest with Gloucestershire but it was the batting wicket at Colchester which prevented a result in Glamorgan's visit to Essex. Stewart Walters struck a rare century on day one, then Westley, Mickelburgh and Shah took the home team's score to 370-1 before veteran Robert Croft twirled his way to a 'five-for'. Ben Wright and Jim Allenby led the second innings riposte with a fifth-wicket partnership of 180 and the match was drawn.
Bottom side Leicestershire can leapfrog both the Welsh and Gloucestershire next week but beating Hampshire looks a tall order. In addition to the fixtures already mentioned, more eyes may be trained on Chester-le-Street, where Onions will hope to add Worcestershire batsmen to his wicket tally, and Edgbaston, where a win for Warwickshire over Middlesex could put them almost out of sight and the pressure on Notts and dark horses Sussex. If Warwicks and Notts draw their two encounters, the South Coast county could yet nick the title.
