Cricket

Rolling report: It's the final match of the season in Division One and Two with Notts, Middlesex and Glamorgan all in the hunt for promotion.

Notts entertain Durham at home, Glamorgan get the free pass at Hove, and Middlesex travel to New Road. If it is, then Division Two status next season will give no chance of promotion – as the top six for 2024 will be culled from top six finishers in Division One 2023. Four days to go, the Championship already decided in favour of the best team – Surrey – but desperate scramblings ahead to go up – and avoid the drop. Welcome to the final fling, the last knockings, the coda of the season. As we’ve come to realise over the last few days – this relegation/promotion battle is vital should the Strauss report be accepted by the counties. Cold with the odd sprinkling of rain or sunshine is the current situation as Warwickshire try to pull of an escape - needing to win and other results go in their favour - and Hampshire, well, they’re looking to win their 10th match of the season which in another year wouldn’t see them already preparing the maid of honour speech. Classic cricket cock-up: option A: award trophy to Championship side at home on a gorgeously sunny day in front of a really good crowd on the day they won. In the Division Two soup: Notts sailing smoothly under Has (40) and Montgomery (16), 82-1. Moriarty is bowling for Surrey, for the first time this year. A jaffa, a cracker, that does for Bohannon who goes back and is suckered. Fisher is playing for Yorks for the first time since they won their only match of the season, also against Gloucestershire, in April. Looks like the covers are coming off but no update just yet.