County Championship: Somerset and Essex set for Taunton title decider

A thrilling summer of cricket is set for one more dramatic plot line on Monday when the County Championship title goes to a head-to-head decider.

By quirk of the fixtures, Division One’s top two – Somerset and Essex – meet at Taunton in the final match this season to decide which of them ends up with two trophies.

T20 Blast winners Essex, last crowned county champions in 2017, have a 12-point lead over One-Day Cup winners Somerset, who are chasing their first Championship title.

Meanwhile, three counties – Northants, Gloucestershire and Glamorgan – are in contention for the two promotion places to go up behind Division Two champions Lancashire.