Tim Murtagh stars as Middlesex edge past Warwickshire

Tim Murtagh was an unlikely hero with the bat as Middlesex edged a nail-biting finale to beat Warwickshire by one wicket in Division One of the Specsavers County Championship.

Both sides were scrapping for victory as a tense fourth day wound to a close at Edgbaston, with all results still possible until number 11 Murtagh took three runs off fellow Ireland international Boyd Rankin to settle it in the visitors’ favour.

Middlesex were chasing 234 for victory, resuming on 36 for two, Nick Compton (49) and Ryan Higgins (45) making the biggest individual contributions while four Bears bowlers took two wickets each.

When Rankin took the ninth wicket rock-bottom Warwickshire piled the pressure on Murtagh, but he scored five of the last seven runs required.

At Scarborough, hosts Yorkshire were skittled in just 38.3 overs as Somerset pulled off their first win of the season in grand style.

Pursuing 337 in 90 overs, the White Rose subsided for just 157. Three of Yorkshire’s top four made ducks and Adam Lyth’s 37 at the top of the order was as good as it got until Liam Plunkett added 39 with the game all but gone.

Craig Overton took four for 47 to complete career-best match-figures of nine for 134, with Jack Leach also claiming a quartet of second-innings scalps.

Captain Rory Burns was Surrey’s limpet-like hero, carrying his bat for a career-best 219 not out when his side were eventually bowled out for 483 in response to the away side’s 648.

Hampshire had little option but to send them in again and hope for the best out of their tiring attack but Burns picked up exactly where he had left off, making another 68 before eventually falling ingloriously, stumped off a leg-side wide from Sean Ervine.

By then he had occupied the crease for 756 minutes, facing 535 deliveries for his solitary dismissal.

The sides shook hands with Surrey 166 for three after 52 overs, and no result in sight.