Tanya Aldred With the final hour tapped on the umpire’s watch, three games were still in the air: the Roses match, the Midlands derby and Leicestershire’s quest for their first win of the season. A fortified display of Yorkshire stonewalling fell just short of denying Lancashire their first Roses win at Old Trafford for 21 years, in a slow-burner that built up to an electrifying final hour. Saqib Mahmood snaffled his first first-class five-fer, bowling with pace and verve, laying out the stumps of Will Fraine and Steven Patterson in the morning, with inswinger, then away-swinger, before coming back at the last to take two more. There was fifty from Harry Brook and imaginative stoicism by 19-year-old Harry Duke, but Dom Bess was the linchpin, batting for over three-and-a-half hours for his 46 until, with just 40 balls left, he parried Matt Parkinson to slip. Lancashire are now the only unbeaten county in the Championship. Warwickshire threw a grenade into Group One by not only denying Nottinghamshire their run chase but bowling them out. Set 309 in 74 overs, Notts set off at a canter but slipped to 89 for five when Steven Mullaney was caught at deep square leg. Warwickshire needed to worm out the rest, which they did with eight overs to spare. Danny Briggs finished with four for 36. The Australian Marcus Harris inspired Leicestershire with a magnificent 185 that overwhelmed Middlesex. Harris and Colin Ackermann, who dabbled his first century for three years, put on 243 for the third wicket and the die was cast. Worcestershire’s first victory of the season came with a gallop after they thrashed Derbyshire by an innings and 23 runs. Dillon Pennington pocketed five for 32. Amar Virdi took four wickets as Surrey zipped through the remainder of Gloucestershire’s batting at the Oval to win by an innings. Only Jonny Tattersall, on loan from Yorkshire and struggling with the bat, snagged up Surrey’s march. Northants rolled to victory over Sussex at Hove, thanks to more fluent runs from Saif Zaib and a half-century from Rob Keogh. As I type, I can see the Lancashire team stretched out in the sun, beers by their side. What a game! What a round! Congratulations to Lancs, Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Leicestershire, Surrey and Northants. Commiserations especially to Yorkshire, who fought so hard today. Thanks everyone for your company, we’ll be back on Thursday for the final push. Enjoy your bank holiday, good night! Leicestershire beat Middlesex by five wickets! Leicestershire 136 and 378-5 beat Middlesex 295 and 218 With less than five overs to go! Warwickshire beat Nottinghamshire by 170 runs! Warwickshire 341 and 264 beat Notts 297 and 138 Amazeballs! Lancashire beat Yorkshire by an innings and 79 runs! Lancashire 509-9dec beat Yorkshire 159 and 271 With 40 balls left, Matt Parkinson wheedles out Dom Bess, caught by Liam Livingstone at slip after an innings of some stoicism.Lancashire’s first Roses win at Old Trafford since 2000! On the pitch, the players shake hands. A Roses for the ages. Saqib Mahmood’s fifth wicket! Ben Coad crawls off the pitch with a duck to his name. I must say Mahmood didn’t look convinced... but up went the finger anyway. Yorkshire 271-9 - 7.3 overs left. Notts lose their ninth! Oh Lancy Lancy indeed! Jordan Thompson fences at Saqib Mahmood and is snaffled. Yorkshire 271-8 - 9.1 overs left! Notts eight down! A second for Walallawita at Grace Road, Lewis Hill for a here-and-there two. Leicestershire 333-4, 45 needed. Events at Grace Road. Marcus Harris has been caught behind off Walallawita for a mammoth in every way 185. Colin Ackermann collects a fabulous hundred. Leicestershire need 47. I must write the round-up but will pop back with wickets and things as Livingstone gets some bounce out of the pitch. A WICKET!!!! Duke doesn’t play a shot and the ball clips the top of off stump. Wood sprints across the grass and is engulfed by the arms and legs of the red rose. A smashing innings from 19-year old Duke, 88 balls of dedication, five dashing fours. Twenty two overs left! Yorkshire 238-7. I’d expect Parkinson to bowl unchanged now from the James Anderson end. A mere 24 overs left, bright sunlight, a rapt if ruddy-faced crowd, five men crouched intently round the batsman. A second for Briggs at Edgbaston, and it is the big(ger) one, Lyndon James after a 2 hour 22 19. Impressive stoic-ing from him, but now it is down to 9-10-Jack. Notts 129-7. Warwickshire whittle out another one: Moores for 21. Notts enter survival mode: 129-6. Duke and Bess bring up a remorseless fifty partnership. The blue sky looks down, surprised. Just four wickets needed Lancashire - where are they? Leicestershire bat on, and on, and on! What a first win of the season this would be - 79 needed, or 8 wickets for Middlesex. Should the runs get ticked off it would be the third highest successful run-chase in Leicestershire’s history. A flattened pitch, but still a stunning reverse. Talking of which, Lancashire and Saqib Mahmood desperate for a bit of reverse-ping, repeatedly polishing the shiny side. The final session of the final day. Three games in the balance. Is your money red or white? Teatime scores Group One Riverside: ESSEX 182 and 301 BEAT DURHAM 99 and 189 by 195 runs Edgbaston: Warwickshire 341 and 264 v Nottinghamshire 297 and 123-5 Nottinghamshire need 186 to win New Road: Worcestershire 421 beat Derbyshire 270 and 128 by an innings and 23 runs. Group Two Grace Road: Leicestershire 136 and 282-2 Middlesex 295 and 218 all out Leicestershire need 96 to win The Oval: Surrey 473 BEAT Gloucestershire 158 and 268 by an innings and 47 runs Group Three Old Trafford: Lancashire 509-9dec v Yorkshire 159 and 208-6 Hove: Northants 256 and 218-7 BEAT Sussex 175 and 298 by seven wicket Tea! Well played Yorkshire. Scores to follow. One over left till tea at Old Trafford. Notts are still five down at Edgbaston, James 18, Moores 21. Another 187 needed if they dare. While Leicestershire are down to a two-figure target. Harris 164, Ackermann 79, the target 99. Luke Wells has a go from the James Anderson end, all long legs and gangly arms. Can he befuddle them with his off-beat leg-breaks as tea approaches? A mini epic at Old Trafford: Bess and Duke v Livingstone and Parkinson. Yorkshire careful, ever so careful. Duke got off the mark to his 39th ball after 49 minutes on 0, during which he seemed completely unbothered by the score. He and Bess patiently press forward. And again. And again. 40 overs left. Harry Duke playing a bravado 28-ball 0. The Foxes are sprinting towards the finish line. Harris has moved to 152, Acermann to 67 and neither Bamber nor Helm nor Andersson nor Walallawita not Hollman nor Gubbins can find an answer. The third-wickset partnership 177. I thought Notts had forgotten how to Notts-up. Seems I was wrong. Mullaney swings to square leg and Rob Yates accepts gratefully. Notts 94-5, James and Moores the men in. A drop! Livingstone at first slip lets Bess through his fingers. Yorkshire 186-6. Forty-four and a half overs left. Some justifiable Surrey crowing. A leg-side stumping! Clarke done by Hannon-Dalby and Burgess for 20. Notts 80-4, need 229 for win. The see-saw has swung.... as it has here! Parkinson sprints over to Livingstone for a hug as Brook props forward and is hit full on the boot. The finger rises. Yorkshire 180-6. Took the chance for a little sun worship in the stands at lunchtime and was struck suddenly by the theatricality of it all when the players came back out. First the umpires marched in unison onto the field in matching black trousers and wide-brimmed hats. Then the Lancashire fielders, rag-tag, fresh from an upper east side rumble; then finally the two Yorkshire batsmen, down the shaded metal staircase into the bright sunlight. It’s just something you don’t normally see from the press box. Parkinson takes a turn from the Brian Statham End. What I enjoy most at the end of his bowling action is the little shuffle of expectation, hands a-cock, like a tap-dancer mid-shuffle. And that’s fifty for Harry Brook, 104 balls, five fours. Well played! If he can be there at the end, he’ll have made his name in a county career that hasn’t yet quite flowered. A century for Marcus Harris, his second for Leicestershire, and 55 for Colin Ackermann defies the sceptics. At 198-2, they are more than half way there: 180 to win.