Northamptonshire beat Worcestershire to move second in Division Two

What happened: Northamptonshire completed a six-wicket County Championship victory over Worcestershire inside three days at New Road, moving into second place in Division Two. BBC Sport and the ECB Reporters' Network reported that the visitors earned 20 points from the result, while Worcestershire collected three.

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Worcestershire resumed their second innings needing to build on a first-innings total of 200 after Northamptonshire had made 289. Captain Brett D'Oliveira led the resistance with 64, but the home side were dismissed for 182. That left Northamptonshire a target of 94 to complete the win.

Yuzvendra Chahal produced the decisive bowling return, taking 4-46. The leg-spinner removed D'Oliveira with a catch by substitute wicketkeeper Stuart van der Merwe and later dismissed Usama Mir and Adam Finch as Worcestershire's innings ended. Australian seamer Liam Conway supported him with 3-33, while Luke Procter finished with 2-32 and seven wickets in the match.

Ben Sanderson also reached a personal landmark during the innings. The 37-year-old seamer took his 50th Division Two wicket of the season when Henry Cullen edged to Calvin Harrison at slip. D'Oliveira's half-century, his second in successive matches, had helped Worcestershire reach 136-6 at lunch, but they could not establish a demanding lead.

Northamptonshire lost wickets during the chase but remained in control. Procter made 21 and Ricardo Vasconcelos scored 22 before both openers departed. Usama took 3-34 and also removed Saif Zaib and Harrison, yet George Bartlett's unbeaten 19 guided the visitors to 96-4 and secured the six-wicket result.

Why it matters: The victory moved Northamptonshire ahead of Kent in the race for promotion to Division One with two rounds remaining. The result maintained their push for an immediate place in the top tier, while the manner of the win added momentum: their attack dismissed Worcestershire twice and completed the chase before the end of day three. Chahal has now taken 14 wickets across his past two County Championship matches, according to BBC Sport.