Durham wilt in face of Follett's blitz

Middlesex shook off their poor start to the season to dismiss Durham for their lowest total in five years of Championship cricket and win by 306 runs at Lord's yesterday.

David Follett produced a hostile 12.2-over spell that brought him 8 for 22 in only his third Championship match as Durham slumped to 67 all out just after lunch, having begun the day needing 374 to win.

Essex went to the top of the County Championship thanks to Ronnie Irani, who made 81 not out as Hampshire were beaten by four wickets at Southampton.

Hampshire lost their last three wickets to the left-arm spinner Paul Grayson, who finished with a career-best 4 for 82. Irani hit four sixes and four fours in 77 deliveries as Essex, set a target of 329 from 69 overs, won with two overs in hand.

Adrian Dale and Tony Cottey steered Glamorgan to a five-wicket victory over Northamptonshire at the County Ground with one ball to spare.

Glamorgan were set a challenging 279 in 64 overs but Dale (120) and Cottey (65 not out) put on 117 in 22 overs. Dale chipped a return catch to John Emburey with 23 needed from 25 deliveries, and Robert Croft followed for a duck in the next over. But Cottey kept his head and watched from the non-striker's end as Gary Butcher pulled the fifth ball of Emburey's final over for the winning single.

Derbyshire's ninth-wicket pair of Colin Wells and Paul Aldred held out for seven overs to frustrate Yorkshire at Sheffield. Set 288 in 50 overs, Derbyshire were well placed on 175 for 2 at the start of the last hour. But Craig White's burst of 4 for 3 in 11 balls changed the course of the contest.