Overview

• Nottinghamshire bowled Warwickshire out for 258 and will clinch the championship if they reach 300 with the bat on Thursday, having moved to within two points of the target.
• Surrey’s pursuit of a fourth straight title faltered as they were dismissed for 147 at Hampshire, with the hosts 154 for 3 and seven runs ahead to boost their survival bid.
• Five clubs remain in the relegation fight—Sussex, Essex, Yorkshire, Hampshire and Durham—with just 10 points separating those at risk entering the final round.
• The decisive fixtures are under way: Nottinghamshire v Warwickshire, Hampshire v Surrey, Essex v Somerset, Worcestershire v Sussex, and Yorkshire v Durham.
• A county ballot rejected Championship reform, retaining the two-division, 14-match structure as recent deductions—Notts’ over-rate point, Somerset’s four-point pitch penalty and Hampshire’s earlier eight-point hit—shape the run-in.