Key events
Abell out for 307
Caught at long on, aiming for the rope, and finishes one run short of Joe Clarke in the highest run-scorers of the year league. Handshakes from Pope and Worrall as he walks off with no fuss.
Somerset, 731 all out, have a first-innings lead of 301. Do Surrey have one last collapse in them?
A standing ovation for Migael Pretorius, as he is lbw having an ugly slug across the line to Dan Worrall. Somerset decide that 727 for nine is not enough and Jack Leach comes out.
Good company for Abell
Abell becomes the eighth Somerset cricketer to make 300 in an innings –after Justin Langer (twice), Tom Banton( last year), Viv Richards, Jimmy Cook, Graeme Smith, Harold Gimblett and James Hildreth.
300 for Tom Abell!
At a warm Taunton, where Surrey are still fielding in sunhats, some succour for Somerset fans. A first triple century for Tom Abell, 30 fours, eight sixes, 402 balls, and nearly nine hours of batting. Bravo!
Bad light at Old Trafford
Scrub that, bad light means things will be delayed a little longer.
“One last dance”, says Dave at the Old Trafford reception, clad in a Lancashire bobble hat. The covers are still on, but play is due to start at 10.45.
This is also goodbye to the international summer as well, as England take on Sri Lanka in the third ODI at The Oval.
Warwickshire are the 2026 Champions !
Scores on the doors
Division One
Cardiff: Glamorgan 505 v Essex 129 and 331-5
Utilita: Sussex 244 & 319-9 BEAT Hampshire 128 and 238 by 197 runs
Trent Bridge: Yorkshire 179 and 159-9 BEAT Nottinghamshire 251 & 85 by one wicket
Taunton: Somerset 691-8 v Surrey 422
Edgbaston: Warwickshire 372 BEAT Leicestershire 125 & 168 by an innings and 79 runs to win the Championship.
Division Two
Canterbury: Kent 353 and 120-2 BEAT Gloucestershire 229 and 241 by eight wickets and are promoted
Old Trafford: Lancashire 267-5 v Durham 493
Lord’s: Middlesex 255 and 134-3 BEAT Northamptonshire 103 & 285 by seven wickets
New Road: Worcestershire 214 and 206 BEAT Derbyshire 88 and 157 by 175 runs
Preamble
Good morning for one final time this season and welcome to the morning after the day before. We have our Champions, all hail the mighty Bears, our promoted clubs, Kent and Durham, and our sad duo bound for Division Two, Hampshire and Leicestershire.
The Manchester sky is slate, the air sea-spray damp but, like my stoical geraniums, there’s just about enough life for one more day.
Three games plod on, a slow draw at Old Trafford, a high-scoring not-this-year goodbye at Taunton and a more intriguing match at Sophia Gardens where great escapees Essex have made a better fist of their second innings.
We’ll be keeping an eye on all those, but also looking back over the summer, to the hat-tricks, the hundreds, the hiccups and the howlers.
Do join us this sweet-melancholy morning.
