Nottinghamshire maintained their push for a first County Championship title since 2010 with a nerve-jangling, three-wicket win over rock-bottom Worcestershire ahead of their crunch clash against Surrey from Monday, live on Sky Sports.
Notts resumed on 40-1 in chase of 136 on the final morning at New Road and plummeted to 83-6 before a combination of Liam Patterson-White (23), Lyndon James (17no) and Josh Tongue (14no) edged the visitors over the line.
Tongue – set to be part of England’s Ashes squad in Australia this winter – also took seven wickets in the match for Nottinghamshire as Worcestershire were bowled out for 182 and 160, while James bagged a second-innings five-for.
Josh Tongue took seven wickets in the match as Nottinghamshire beat his old side Worcestershire
The Trent Bridge side have moved top of Division One, although Surrey will regain that spot if they beat Warwickshire.
Notts travel to reigning champions Surrey next week in the penultimate round of fixtures before concluding their campaign at home to Warwickshire from September 24 while Surrey visit Hampshire.
Surrey are aiming to become the first side to win four successive County Championship titles since themselves in the 1950s.
Ollie Pope scored a half-century in each innings of Surrey’s County Championship match against Warwickshire
Hampshire hit with eight-point penalty, sign India’s Washington
Also in Division One, Hampshire have been deducted eight points for producing a “below average pitch” during their game against Sussex in May, dropping the team from fifth to eighth in the table.
Hampshire lost that match against Sussex by nine wickets, on a surface reported for the unevenness of bounce and excessive turn.
The independent cricket discipline panel (CDP) said the home side had not intended to gain an unfair advantage but believed they had not taken all reasonable steps to produce a pitch of appropriate standard, an allegation Hampshire denied.
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New Hampshire signing Washington Sundar blasted a spectacular half-century for India against England at The Kia Ova this summer
Hampshire – now one place above the relegation spots – have signed India all-rounder Washington Sundar for their final two games of the Championship season, against Somerset and Surrey.
Washington, 25, scored his maiden Test hundred this summer, against England at Emirates Old Trafford.
He also took seven wickets with his off-spin as India drew the five-match series 2-2.
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Washington tells Sky Sports how he felt after scoring his first Test hundred for India versus England
