Jennings’ 177 only delays the inevitable

For almost seven hours and 177 well-crafted runs, Keaton Jennings stood defiant in Lancashire’s second innings but even his defiance could not deny Worcestershire their first Specsavers County Championship Division One win of the season.

The England opener struck 27 boundaries in his third championship hundred of the campaign, eventually succumbing after 295 watchful balls to the penultimate over before lunch bowled by Pat Brown.

Lancashire’s target of 602 was always nominal and they eventually succumbed for 399 with England under-19 seamer Ed Barnard finishing with match figures of nine for 129 in 46.4 overs.

At Chelmsford, Nottinghamshire required just an hour and three quarters on the final morning to remove the final six Essex wickets.

The 23 points gained from their fourth success at the halfway point of the season lifted Notts above Essex and Somerset into second place, 13 points behind leaders Surrey.

Matt Milnes, in only his third first-class match, claimed best figures of four for 44, two of the wickets in the morning’s play as Essex added just 51 runs to their overnight score to fall 302 short of their target of 441.

At the Ageas Bowl, half-centuries from Harry Brook and Jack Leaning ensured Yorkshire fought out a dour draw during the day-night match with Hampshire.

In Division Two, Warwickshire went surprisingly close to achieving a championship record fourth-innings target of 519 against Kent, eventually losing by 73 runs as Kent captain Joe Denly bagged three wickets in six balls. Ian Bell scored a sublime 172. But there was run-chase success for

Middlesex, for whom Steve Eskinazi hit 97 before being run out, against

Leicestershire as last pair James Harris and Tim Murtagh scrambled them over the line to reach 383 for nine. Glamorgan were denied a win over Derbyshire by ninth-wicket resistance from Tony Paladino and Duanne Olivier but still moved off the bottom.