County Championship title decider, live updates: Notts and Surrey in thrilling finish

A flash County Championship blog for a thrilling finish, and one that has seen Notts put themselves in pole position to win the title. 

Eyes turn to Taunton, where Hampshire are battling desperately to secure a draw that would significantly aid their hopes of staying up.

They are five down and scoring at around 1.5 runs an over, with Archie Vaughan and Jack Leach bowling through almost unbroken. Vaughan has four, Leach one, with a couple of hours to go.

There's not much hope of any results elsewhere.

31 wickets at 22, three five-fors, a wicket every 36.3 deliveries.

He was stellar today.

Surrey have won three titles in a row, but they will need something close to a miracle to make it a fourth.

Notts now lead the table by 15 points, which means a draw and two bonus points at home against Warwickshire - who are comfortably mid-table - will seal the title. Basically, Surrey, who travel to relegation-threatened Hampshire, need to win and hope Notts lose.

Five wickets in the first innings, six in the second, but it wasn't quite enough. A game he'll never forget, but with mixed emotions.

Notts scrapped up to 231 in a nip-and-tuck first innings, and then pulled Surrey back from 101-1 in the second to claim a 58-run lead. It looked as if they had squandered the advantage, sliding to 89-6, before a lower-order fightback. Liam Patterson-White, at No.8, made 58, the highest score of the game. How crucial do those runs look now?

Again Surrey's top order built, to 149-2, and again Notts pegged them back. And then a finish for the ages. 244-5 became 246-7, and then 277-7 became 281-9. It looked as if Tom Lawes might just pull off a heist, but Josh Tongue claimed his fifth to seal a 20-run win. 

That's Surrey's first defeat at home in over two years in the County Championship. What a time for Notts to end it.

Lawes has thrown it away! He'd played so well, but then he carves high into the off-side and Ben Slater at deep extra cover takes the catch on the rope.

Josh Tongue finishes with a special five-for, and Notts have one hand on the County Championship trophy.

Worrall will much rather be facing Hutton than Tongue, and Surrey scramble a trio of singles despite a strangled appeal second ball.

Four balls into the over and Notts are still giving Lawes the single if he wants it. He drives, but on the bounce back to the bowler! Now the field comes up, though still with boundary riders in place. But Lawes pushes to long-on and keeps the strike. Surrey need 21 to win, as Tongue returns to the top of his mark.

Tongue continues. Lawes pulls neatly into the deep but declines the single. There is the conundrum.

But that will ease the equation! A snick through fine leg for four, and then a squirt through third for the same result. Eight off the total, 25 needed. And then the riposte from Tongue, Lawes wearing one on his torso! This is proper.

An in-out field to try and save the single and the boundary off the last ball... and it works as Fisher clumps to cover along the turf. Brett Hutton will have Worrall in his sights to start the next over.

By all accounts, Dan Worrall's first-class average of 13 flatters him somewhat, and with Josh Tongue's reputation for feasting on rabbit pie, Surrey will want him to face as few balls as possible from the Pavilion End. Tom Lawes has played gamely for his 23 thus far, but he'll need to attack judiciously and farm the strike for Surrey to get close.

Lawes is turning down singles to keep the strike and protect the No.11 Dan Worrall.

What a game we've had here. Surrey have now made the highest score of the match batting last, but they still need 33 for victory. Josh Tongue has been electric and tireless today, hitting 92.8mph at one point, and his last over was perhaps his best yet. He loves bowling at tailenders...

Victory in sights for Nottinghamshire as they're just one more wicket away. Surrey still need 34 more.

A quick, full ball by Tongue hit Matt Fisher flush on the pads, but the umpire remains unmoved! 

Josh Tongue has found the outside edge of Gus Atkinson's bat, squaring him up and having him caught at first slip. Surrey eight down with 38 runs to go. Tongue has three.

Only 39 more needed for Surrey. Atkinson (10) and Lawes (22) still going strong.