Nottinghamshire maintained their push for a first County Championship title since 2010 with a nerve-jangling, three-wicket win over rock-bottom Worcestershire ahead of their crunch clash against Surrey from Monday, live on SportNews.
Notts resumed on 40-1 in chase of 136 on the final morning at New Road and plummeted to 83-6 before a combination of Liam Patterson-White (23), Lyndon James (17no) and Josh Tongue (14no)
Tongue - set to be part of England's squad in Australia this winter - also took seven wickets in the match for Nottinghamshire as Worcestershire were bowled out for 182 and 160, while James bagged a second-innings five-for.
The Trent Bridge side temporarily moved top of Division One before Surrey's rain-affected draw with Warwickshire at The Kia Oval saw them reclaim top spot and nudged them a point ahead of Nottinghamshire.
The two sides face off next week in the penultimate round of fixture, live on SportNews Cricket on Monday from 10.20am (first ball 10.30am).
Then, Nottinghamshire conclude their campaign at home to Warwickshire from September 24 while Surrey visit Hampshire.
Surrey are aiming to become the first side to win four successive County Championship titles since themselves in the 1950s.
Also in Division One, Hampshire have been deducted eight points for producing a "below average pitch" during their game against Sussex in May, dropping the team from fifth to eighth in the table.
Hampshire lost that match against Sussex by nine wickets, on a surface reported for the unevenness of bounce and excessive turn.
The independent cricket discipline panel (CDP) said the home side had not intended to gain an unfair advantage but believed they had not taken all reasonable steps to produce a pitch of appropriate standard, an allegation Hampshire denied.
Hampshire - now one place above the relegation spots - have signed India all-rounder Washington Sundar for their final two games of the Championship season, against Somerset and Surrey.
Washington, 25, scored his maiden Test hundred this summer, against England at Emirates Old Trafford.
He also took seven wickets with his off-spin as India drew the five-match series 2-2.
The other two fixtures in Division One at Taunton and Chelmsford also finished in draws after rain had significantly interrupted play throughout.
Somerset drew with Yorkshire in a match that not only dented the hosts' outside chances of pushing for a first title but also left the visitors still in the relegation fight.
Somerset restricted Yorkshire to 134-9 on the final day in reply to their first-innings 441-6 declared after play was severely disrupted on all four days.
Essex's attempts to force an innings-win over Durham were hampered by a seventh-wicket unbroken partnership between England bowler Matthew Potts (34no) and Ben Raine (42no).
Potts and Raine rescued the visitors from a precarious 96-7 in their second innings when they still trailed Essex by 28 runs, to steer them to 173-7 either side of a significant rain break in the afternoon and evening sessions.
With two games to play, just 14 points separate five sides from Essex in fifth to Durham in ninth.
Bottom-placed Worcestershire are 44 points adrift of safety and their relegation to Division Two looks set to be confirmed next week.
