The fourth day of the 2023 County Championship matches saw some thrilling performances, both with the bat and ball. [expander_maker id=”1″ ] Lancashire and Surrey played out a draw, largely thanks to a superb innings by Josh Bohannon. Ben Compton’s hundred powered Kent to a comfortable win over Northamptonshire, while Somerset managed to hold on for a draw against Warwickshire, thanks to Tom Lammonby and Craig Overton’s stubborn resistance. Sussex and Durham played out a close contest that saw Sussex emerge victorious by two wickets, while Worcester got the better of Derbyshire by eight wickets. Lastly, Rishi Patel and Peter Handscomb helped Leicestershire pull off a stunning three-wicket win over Yorkshire.

Josh Bohannon’s unbeaten hundred on his birthday helped Lancashire to a draw against Surrey. Chasing a target of 444, Surrey needed to take ten wickets on the final day but could manage only three. Steven Croft supported Bohannon with a solid knock of 56. Tom Lammonby and Craig Overton’s resistance helped Somerset to a draw against Warwickshire in a low-scoring encounter. Sam Hain’s hundred helped Warwickshire take their score to 392, but their bowlers couldn’t quite force a win.

Ben Compton’s superb unbeaten hundred helped Kent defeat Northamptonshire by seven wickets. Compton and Jack Leaning’s unbeaten partnership of 167* powered Kent to victory after they were struggling at 60/3. Sussex overcame a tight finish against Durham to win by two wickets. A four-wicket spell from Matt Kuhnemann caused a middle-order collapse for Sussex before Oliver Carter steered them home safely. Worcestershire’s Jack Leach and Josh Tongue combined to clean up Derbyshire’s batting and helped their team to a comfortable eight-wicket win.

Lastly, a thrilling chase by Leicestershire saw them defeat Yorkshire by three wickets. Rishi Patel’s hundred at the top of the order set the tone for the chase, while Peter Handscomb joined forces with Chris Wright to see their team home, with seven balls to spare.

Over in Lord’s, Essex registered a comprehensive win over Middlesex, with Shane Snater’s two-wicket burst shifting the momentum in their favour. Chasing 308, Middlesex’s Ryan Higgins and Luke Hollman added 87 for the eighth wicket, but Snater broke the partnership with two wickets in two balls, as Middlesex fell short by 97 runs.

In another top bowling performance of the day, Dom Bess took five wickets for Yorkshire, but Leicestershire still managed to chase down a target of 389 on the final day, thanks to Patel and Handscomb.

Overall, the fourth day of County Championship matches saw some exceptional performances from both the batsmen and bowlers. While some games went down to the wire, others were more one-sided. These performances show the talent on display in English county cricket and make for an exciting season ahead.[/expander_maker]