Live: Rothesay County Championship – Essex v Yorkshire Men, Day 4

Essex finish on 273-9. What a finish.

11 points apiece.

Harmer on strike.

Harmer on strike.

It all comes down to Dan Moriarty. One over remains, one wicket needed. Jamie Porter on strike.

George Hill will bowl what is likely to be the penultimate over of this match. One wicket needed for Yorkshire.

We’re into the final 10 minutes, and Essex are holding on.

We have 15 minutes remaining, and Simon Harmer and Jamie Porter are holding on against Dom Bess and Dan Moriarty.

Five, maybe six overs to come.

Dom Bess and Dan Moriarty in tandem now. Essex 255-9.

Simon Harmer and Jamie Porter are defending for all they’re worth.

Yorkshire have six fielders around the bat added to wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow.

Essex are 254-9 with Simon Harmer and Jamie Porter at the crease.

A crowd of around 200 has watched this gripping final day.

Kasun Rajitha bowled Dan Moriarty, 21.

Yorkshire on the verge as the Sri Lankan is bowled through the gate.

Simon Harmer and Jamie Porter stand between Yorkshire and victory.

We have 45 minutes remaining. Kasun Rajitha has 21 and Simon Harmer 12.

Essex are 244-8. Dan Moriarty and Dom Bess in operation.

Yorkshire will have to bowl a minimum of 16 overs in the last hour. Essex are 229-8, with Simon Harmer and Kasun Rajitha at the crease. Dan Moriarty and Jack White in operation for Yorkshire.

Shane Snater lbw Jack White, 0.

Snater faces 30 balls without scoring but falls.

Two more for Yorkshire. White claims a fourth wicket.

Matt Critchley caught behind Jonny Bairstow bowled George Hill, 75.

Ninth wicket in the match for Hill. Huge wicket for Yorkshire

Noah Thain bowled Dom Bess, 1.

Bowled through the gate by a delivery which has turned a long way.

Dom Bess and George Hill will take up the attack. Essex are 200-5.

Matt Critchley has 70 and Noah Thain has just come in.

Michael Pepper trapped lbw George Hill, 68.

Hill strikes with the last ball of the afternoon.

Matt Critchley 69 and Pepper shared an excellent 154 for the fifth wicket, but Yorkshire have the breakthrough.

We have a minimum of 30 overs remaining in the day, but we will get more if we go right down to the wire.

Picture by John Heald.

This day is looking very different now. Essex are 195-4 in the 89th over. Matt Critchley and Michael Pepper have navigated the early stages of the new ball. Critchley 68 and Pepper 65.

Surrey have dug themselves out of a hole at Edgbaston, where they were in danger of having to follow-on this morning.

Replying to Warwickshire’s 665-5 declared, the champions were nine down overnight having been 346-9. But they are now 504-9. Ben Foakes (174) and a certain Matthew Fisher (40, batting at 11) have shared 158 and counting for the 10th wicket.

This is the game, you feel.

Essex are 180-4 from 80 overs, a minimum of 43 remain.

Ben Coad has the ball in hand from the Graham Gooch End.

Picture by John Heald.

Matt Critchley has reached his fifty, off 190 balls.

Essex are 176-4 after 77 overs. We have a minimum of 46 overs remaining in the day, though we will almost certainly get more having raced through the overs with the spinners. Yorkshire are plus 5 on the over-rate.

This has turned into a new-ball game. Yorkshire really need it to work. Michael Pepper has 61.

Michael Pepper gets to his fifty off 155 balls, and he and Matt Critchley have shared 100 unbroken for the fifth wicket.

Critchley has 36 out of Essex’s 145-4.

We have a minimum of 55.4 overs remaining in the day. We will get more than that if we go right down to the wire.

Essex are 135-4 after 60 overs. Dom Bess and Adam Lyth have started the afternoon session with the ball.

Matt Critchley 34 and Michael Pepper 45 have shared 90.

The pitch has looked as placid today as it has all match. Maybe the first session of the contest compared.

Adam Lyth has just bowled the final over of a morning which has gone Essex’s way. Matt Critchley 34 and Michael Pepper 45 have batted unbroken through the morning.

Still plenty of time for Yorkshire, but Essex’s hopes of a draw have been raised.

Michael Pepper has become more adventurous in the last 20 minutes. He has hit a couple of sixes in 38. Matt Critchley 34.

Michael Pepper has just hoisted Dom Bess over backward square-leg for six, moving to 32 – the same score as Matt Critchley.

Not sure Yorkshire will mind that too much. Essex are 112-4, with Bess and Matthew Revis in operation.

Harry Duke is on BBC Radio commentary with Jonathan Doidge as well.

Matt Critchley and Michael Pepper have shared 51 unbroken for the fifth wicket, Essex’s highest partnership of the match so far.

Yorkshire having to work hard for these wickets. Dom Bess is into the attack now.

Short ball tactics at the other end from Matthew Revis.

After a spell from each end for Jack White, Matthew Revis is into the attack.

Essex are 88-4 in the 41st over.

George Hill into the attack in place of Jack White. Essex are 72-4 after 35 overs, eight bowled this morning.

Matt Critchley has 21 and Michael Pepper 7.

There’s been a few lbw appeals so far, but no reward for Jack White and Ben Coad. Essex holding firm at present. There’s only been four runs added in the opening 25 minutes of play.

Tidy start to the day from Jack White and Ben Coad.

The first over of the day is being bowled by Jack White.

Matt Critchley has 13 and Michael Pepper 7.

Division One 

Nottinghamshire 333 and 345 beat Hampshire 196 and 116 by 366 runs, Trent Bridge 

Sussex 284 and 256 v Hampshire 180 and 117-3, The 1st Central County Ground

Warwickshire 665-5d v Surrey 369-9, Edgbaston 

Division Two 

Kent 212 and 176 lost to Glamorgan 549-9 by an innings and 161 runs, The Spitfire Ground, St Lawrence 

Northamptonshire 238 and 273 beat Lancashire 276 and 165 by 70 runs, Wantage Road 

There was a short and sharp rain shower in the night at Chelmsford. Fingers crossed, it has just added a touch more spice to the pitch.

Some interesting news from the world of cricket. Indian great Virat Kohli has retired from Test Cricket, following Rohit Sharma, who made the same decision last week.

India will be without some big guns this summer when they head to England for a five-match series, which starts at Headingley on June 20.

Picture by Arun Sankar/Getty Images.

It’s another belter of a day at Chelmsford. The sun is out, and it’s warm once again.

Yorkshire are on the verge of victory over Essex in the Rothesay County Championship, what would be their second of the season at the fifth attempt.

They need six more wickets, with Essex – chasing 520 – 64-4 overnight.

Matt Critchley and Michael Pepper are at the crease.

Jack White was excellent last night in striking three times with the new ball, while George Hill picked up the other wicket.

Hill has seven in the match. If things go well for him today, a maiden 10-wicket match return could be secured. In fact, one more wicket and it will be a first career eight-for in a first-class or Championship match.

Whoever takes the wickets, though, it doesn’t really matter as long as they’re taken. A win would secure a 19-point return from match number five.

You can read our match report and reaction piece following day three via the embedded X posts above.

We have also just published Noah Kelly’s latest blog. He has been captaining the second team at the start of this summer. That is also embedded above.