DERBYSHIRE and Yorkshire won promotion to the first division of English county cricket with both sides battling for top spot.

Derbyshire celebrated their first-ever promotion to make it a day to remember for Ross Whiteley who marked his 24th birthday with an unbeaten half-century and two late wickets in the LV= County Championship Division Two match against Hampshire at Derby.
Kent’s defeat at Glamorgan sealed Derbyshire’s place in Division One next season and they will go up as champions if they beat Hampshire who closed day three on 142 for six, only 139 ahead, with Bilal Shafayat unbeaten on 52.
Whiteley scored an undefeated 57 out of 275 and then took two for six from five overs to give Derbyshire the advantage going into the final day of the season.
Yorkshire also have the chance to claim the Division Two title after their promotion was confirmed. Glamorgan’s win meant Kent could not catch Yorkshire who head into the final day against Essex needing a win and hoping Derbyshire do not match their result to take top spot.
Yorkshire’s first task is to bowl Essex out a second time after leaving them a target of 388. Yorkshire declared their second innings on 252 for eight and by the close Essex were struggling at 28 for two.
Robert Croft took a wicket with his final ball in first-class cricket as Glamorgan ended Kent’s promotion hopes with a day to spare at Cardiff. The 42-year-old off-spinner had Charlie Shreck caught at long-off as Kent were bowled out in their second innings for 280 after following on.
Glamorgan were left with 61 runs needed to victory and they achieved it by seven wickets.
Claude Henderson snapped up two wickets in the penultimate over of the day to give Leicestershire a chance of finishing the season with a victory against Gloucestershire at Grace Road. The veteran South African left-arm spinner dismissed Will Gidman and James Fuller as Gloucestershire closed on 254 for nine in their second innings, leaving them with a lead of 193.
Earlier, Fuller had taken three wickets for five runs in 10 balls to restrict the home side to a first-innings lead of 61.
Then, Wayne White grabbed three wickets in one over as Gloucestershire looked to set a challenging target. Dan Housego hit 62 and Will Gidman 72 off 81 balls, but Henderson’s late double strike put Leicestershire in the driving seat.
Abdur Rehman finished with match figures of 14 for 101 as Somerset clinched runners-up spot in LV= County Championship Division One with victory over relegated Worcestershire by an innings and 148 runs at Taunton.
The Pakistan left-arm spinner took five for 36 as the visitors stumbled to 152 all out in their second innings, Alexei Kervezee top-scoring with 76.
The hosts took 23 points to Worcestershire’s two as their players guaranteed themselves a share in a £162 000 cheque for finishing second behind champions Warwickshire.
Steven Mullaney enhanced Nottinghamshire’s chances of finishing on a high with a victory over Warwickshire with a fluent 94 – his highest first-class score since May 2010.
The all-rounder hit an enterprising 119-ball knock that contained 11 fours and four straight sixes as he took charge in a fifth-wicket partnership of 119 in just 28 overs with Chris Read (36).
Either side of that, Neil Edwards (53) had scored only his third first-class half-century in as many seasons and Riki Wessels made a brisk 38, while Paul Franks (76 not out) and Ben Phillips (38) put on 91 for the eighth wicket.
New Zealander Jeetan Patel (four wickets for 127 runs) was the pick of the Warwickshire bowlers as Nottinghamshire closed on 444 for eight for a lead of 395 going into the final day at Trent Bridge.
Zander de Bruyn’s first hundred of the season and polished half-centuries from youngsters Rory Burns and Tom Jewell ensured Surrey made a commanding start against relegated Lancashire.
Following two days of rain at Liverpool, a fixture with nothing but pride on offer saw both sides finally get under way at the start of day three. Surrey closed on 324 for five, with De Bruyn unbeaten on 105 off 229 balls and Jewell 57 not out. Burns had earlier scored 73.
In-form Durham finished their season with a fifth win in six games after beating Sussex by five wickets with a day to spare at Chester-le-Street. Michael Richardson struck 58 and Ben Stokes a quick-fire 45 as Durham chased down their victory target of 165 after dismissing Sussex for 180.