To howl of laughter from somewhere close to the Lancashire dressing room, Randell is bowled for nine by, yes, Luke Wells. Somerset 220-9.

Overton makes the smallest of steps with the biggest of legs and retreats to the pavilion. Eight down, Somerset now need 184. Phillip the wickettaker.

A googly! Bemuses Gregory and he loses his middle stump.

“Oh dear, dear, dear,” says Anthony Gibson. Wells on a hattrick.

Surrey are on the verge of a third successive County Championship title after beating Durham within three days at the Oval and then sitting back to watch their challengers, Somerset, falter at Old Trafford.

Dan Worrall’s two wickets in the first over of the day doomed Durham’s innings barely before it had breathed, and he finished with four wickets, as did Sam Curran. Only Emilio Gay’s 48 prevented an innings defeat for Durham, but Rory Burns and Dom Sibley quickly reached the 25 needed, to tick off Surrey’s sixth home win of the season. They will be champions on Friday if Somerset, six down, fail to score the 189 more they need to beat Lancashire and take the title race into the final round.

In Manchester it was Luke Wells who all but crushed Somerset’s dreams under his big boots, first with an excellent counterattacking 130 to take Lancashire almost out of reach, then with two crucial wickets, one of them in the last over of the day when Kasey Aldridge was brilliantly caught off a quicker ball by Matty Hurst, ending a stoical 49-run sixth-wicket stand with James Rew.

The 18-year-old Archie Vaughan had earlier danced to a maiden championship half-century of great composure and timing, before being caught off the excellent George Balderson.

Barring something extraordinary from Rew and partners at Old Trafford in the morning, Surrey will become the first side since Yorkshire in the 1960s to win three on the bounce. As Sam Curran said: “I’m sure the boys will be glued to the streams over the next day.”

Sussex’s coach, Paul Farbrace, said “I’m not thinking beyond getting a nice cold beer and putting my feet up,” after his side thrashed Gloucestershire to earn promotion to Division One nine years after relegation. Sussex wrapped up victory in less than a session after Gloucestershire’s second innings imploded, and Henry Crocombe closed the curtains by pinning Dom Goodman in front of his stumps, to collect his fourth wicket. A bouncing team gathered together on the square for a jubilant group hug.

To altogether glummer faces, Kent’s relegation was confirmed after an innings defeat by Nottinghamshire at Canterbury. It is the first time since 2018 that they will snuffle around among the tree roots and acorns.

After a flurry of runs on Wednesday evening, Kent started the day with a spring in their step but Tawanda Muyeye’s dismissal in the first over soon knocked that away. The nine subsequent wickets fell for 139, leaving Nottinghamshire to knock off only 23 for victory.

Notts have shuffled further towards safety – meaning that even if Lancashire win and get 24 points in the final round, Notts will need only 10 points from their last game to stay up.

A disembowelling of Derbyshire kept Middlesex’s hopes of promotion just about alive. Their fifth win of the season came after Derbyshire lost their last seven wickets in the first 90 minutes of a dingy morning. Toby Roland-Jones pocketed five more wickets (10 in the match), to add to his handsome tally of 52 for the year.

Northants won back-to-back -championship matches for the first time in five years after crushing Leicestershire at Wantage Road. There were five wickets for Yuzvendra Chahal and though a maiden first-class century for Scott Currie orchestrated a plucky Leicestershire fightback, it was not enough.

Liam Dawson’s quietly brilliant season continued – he added another half century and five more wickets (to reach 50 for the first time in a championship season) to usher Hampshire towards defeat of Worcestershire. Jake Libby was 55 not out at stumps, but Worcestershire’s task looks a ticklish one, with 277 still needed and only five wickets left.

Yorkshire strolled towards -victory at Sophia Gardens and will need only three more wickets in the morning to go into the final round with a cracking chance of promotion. Ben Coad chipped away at Glamorgan, who were set 396 in the final innings, picking up his 50th first-class wicket of the season on his way to four for 30.

Division One

Hampshire 462 and 204 v Worcestershire 273 and 117-5

Worcestershire need 277 with five wickets standing

Kent 225 and 230 (f/o) v Nottinghamshire 433 and 28-0

Nottinghamshire won by 10 wickets

Lancashire 140 and 398 v Somerset 146 and 204-6

Somerset need 189 to win with four wickets standing

Surrey 415 and 25-0 v Durham 262 and 177

Surrey won by 10 wickets

Division Two

Derbyshire 173 and 119 v Middlesex 358

Middlesex won by an innings and 66 runs

Glamorgan 239 and 141-7 v Yorkshire 361 and 273

Glamorgan need another 255 with three wickets standing

Gloucestershire 109 and 195 v Sussex 311

Sussex won by an innings and seven runs

Northamptonshire 383 and 137-1 v Leicestershire 203 and 316

Northamptonshire won by nine wickets

Good morning from Old Trafford, for the final time this season. Today is make or break for Somerset – can they win and go into the final week with the Championship still a tangible idea. For Lancashire too, skin in the game – a victory will mean that a last-gasp escape from Division Two is possible. Play starts here at 10.30am, and at the other two games still in progress – at Sophia Gardens, and Southampton. Do join us!