Jack Leach has Durham in a spin and improves Somerset’s title chances

Jack Leach inspired Somerset to a crushing 293-run victory over Durham to close the gap on Vitality County Championship leaders Surrey to 24 points ahead of their meeting in Taunton later this month.

Somerset had set Durham an improbably 420 for victory and three late scalps on day three further tilted the balance in favour of the hosts.

It did not take England spinner Leach long to get to work on the fourth day and he picked up seven wickets for 50 runs as Durham were dismissed for 126.

Archie Vaughan, the son of former England captain Michael Vaughan, provided support with two for 40 off 21 overs, but the day belonged to Leach, who finished with match figures of 12 for 174 to boost his international chances ahead of the winter tour to Pakistan.

Surrey started this round of fixtures with a 35-point lead at the summit but were frustrated by Nottinghamshire in their attempts to force a result at Trent Bridge.

Farhan Ahmed followed up his seven-wicket haul in the first innings with three for 77 to create more history as back-to-back champions Surrey struggled to score quickly enough to set an early declaration.

The impressive 10 for 217 match figures of 16-year-old Ahmed made him the youngest player in County Championship history to record a 10-wicket match haul.

After Surrey declared on 177 for nine following Rory Burns’ fifty to set 298 for victory, Nottinghamshire openers Ben Slater and Haseeb Hameed ensured there would be no dramatic finale with unbeaten half-centuries to earn the home team a respectable draw.

The faint title hopes of last year’s runners-up Essex ended after a 43-run loss to Worcestershire in Chelmsford.

After Worcestershire progressed their overnight 303 for eight to 321, Essex slumped to 140 all out with Brett D’Oliveira’s non-strikers end run-out of Robin Das for 32 crucial before Logan van Beek’s four-fer earned the visitors’ a precious triumph.

Jack Carson was able to spin leaders Sussex to a sixth victory in Division Two after they beat Derbyshire by an innings and 59 runs.

Sussex required eight more wickets ahead of the final day and Carson’s six for 67 ensured the hosts were not required to bat again in Hove after Derbyshire were skittled out for 258.

Promotion rivals Middlesex and Yorkshire had to settle for a share of the spoils after a high-scoring draw at Headingley.

After Ryan Higgins had taken on his unbeaten 117 to 155 to help Middlesex make 522, Yorkshire reached 150 for two before both captains were able to shake on a draw.

Fourth-placed Leicestershire are not out of the running for second spot, but had their hopes hit by a draw at Glamorgan.

Centuries by Ajinkya Rahane and Peter Handscomb did mean Leicestershire batted out for a final-day draw in Cardiff after they reached 369 for six.