Cricket

Yorkshire secured their promotion back to Division One of the Vitality County Championship with a dominant performance against Northamptonshire at Headingley. Adam Lyth and James Wharton scored superb centuries, leading Yorkshire to a commanding lead of 224 runs.Yorkshire needed a maximum of 10 points to seal second place ahead of Middlesex, who missed out on four bonus points in their match against Sussex. Yorkshire claimed three of the six points they required by bowling out Northamptonshire for 147 before lunch. Ben Coad and Matthew Fisher did the damage with the ball, taking four and three wickets respectively.In reply, Lyth and Wharton shared a record-breaking 260-run partnership for the second wicket. Lyth hit 147 off 163 balls, while Wharton scored an unbeaten 162 off 234 balls. George Bartlett played a lone hand for Northamptonshire with an impressive 64 not out, but it was not enough to prevent Yorkshire from taking control of the match.Yorkshire reached lunch at 56 for one and tea at 228 for 1, with a lead of 81. Lyth reached his century off 111 balls during the afternoon, while Wharton's second of the season came in the early evening off 154 balls.On-loan Singh trapped Lyth lbw sweeping just short of his 150, but Wharton continued to dominate, hitting the run that secured promotion upon reaching 350. He reached 150 shortly after off 228 balls, including two more sixes, amidst a 96-run stand with Will Luxton.Bad light ended the day 4.4 overs early, but Yorkshire had already secured their promotion back to Division One.

Sussex's relentless dominance in Division Two of the Vitality County Championship culminated in a resounding innings victory over Gloucestershire at Bristol, securing their promotion to the top flight with a game to spare.Resuming on 140 for 3 in their second innings, Gloucestershire's hopes of salvaging a draw were swiftly extinguished by Sussex's relentless bowling attack. Jaydev Unadkat, the left-arm seamer, proved to be the tormentor-in-chief, claiming 3 for 39 to finish with match figures of 7 for 71. Henry Crocombe also played a pivotal role, bagging 4 for 22.Chris Dent, Gloucestershire's overnight hero, was dismissed for 61 by Unadkat's fifth delivery of the day. James Bracey and Graeme van Buuren followed suit, leaving the home side reeling at 153 for 6. Ed Middleton and Tom Price briefly resisted, but their partnership was broken by Crocombe, who induced an edge from Middleton to wicketkeeper John Simpson.With Gloucestershire still trailing by 13 runs, Crocombe's brilliance continued. He bowled Zafar Gohar with a yorker and removed Zaman Akhter's off stump with the following delivery. Dom Goodman, the last man standing, was pinned leg before by Crocombe, completing a memorable spell for the seamer.Sussex's victory margin of an innings and seven runs was a testament to their superiority throughout the match. They took 21 points to Gloucestershire's three, extending their unassailable lead over third-placed Middlesex.The triumph marked a remarkable achievement for Sussex, who have been the standout team in Division Two this season. Their consistent performances and unwavering determination have earned them a well-deserved place in the top flight.