County Championship round-up: Hampshire halt losing run while England's Cook returns to form

Hampshire remain bottom of the First Division but avoided defeat for the first time this season with a tedious draw against Somerset at the Rose Bowl, where the visitors were bowled out for 524.

It gave Somerset a lead of just 12 and though Hampshire lost openers Michael Carberry and Jimmy Adams cheaply as both edged Charl Willoughby to Marcus Trescothick at first slip, it took only a heavy shower to persuade both captains to call it day.

Durham University student Tom Westley added an unbeaten 58 to his first-innings 132 and England opener Alastair Cook ended his poor run of scores with 72 but Essex were obliged to settle for a draw against Kent after a target of 338 proved unrealistic at Chelmsford.

In the Second Division, Gloucestershire needed little more than half an hour to complete their third win in a row, beating Leicestershire by nine wickets, the circumstances notable for Paul Nixon, the veteran one-time England wicketkeeper, claiming his maiden first-class wicket when he trapped William Porterfield leg before. There was a win too for Glamorgan, who beat Northamptonshire by an innings and four runs in Cardiff.