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James Hildreth scored an unbeaten triple-ton as the runs flowed on the final day of Somerset's County Championship Division One clash with Warwickshire at the County Ground.

Responding to the visitors' 500 all out, Hildreth's 303 not out off 338 balls was the highlight of Somerset's 672 for four, which also included 150no from South African wicketkeeper Craig Kieswetter.

Hildreth hit 35 fours and four sixes in a swashbuckling performance that suggests this might be the season he delivers on the promise he has shown earlier in his career.

Warwickshire were 108 for one by the close as the match petered out towards a predictable draw, Tony Frost still there on 46.

In Division Two, all three matches in the opening round ended in draws.

Gloucestershire's hopes of forcing their first win at The Oval since 1997 ran out of steam as a weakened Surrey held out for a draw.

Resuming on their perilous overnight score of 18 for three, Usman Afzaal (65) and Jonathan Batty (11) at least showed the sort of responsibility required to bat out the day, yet their backs-to-the-wall approach was lacking elsewhere in the side.

Chris Schofield added 29 in a total of 160, handing Gloucestershire - for whom James Franklin took three for 23 - a 173-run lead.

The follow-on was enforced but Surrey held firm to close on 64 for two.

Boeta Dippenaar hit an unbeaten 68 to steer Leicestershire to a battling draw after they had been forced to follow on in their clash with Northamptonshire at Grace Road.

The South African batted for more than three and a half hours and shared a stand of 70 with his captain Paul Nixon (39no) to take the home side to 174 for four, at which point the teams shook hands on a draw with 16 overs remaining.

Earlier, Johan van der Wath (four for 40) and David Lucas (four for 46) had reduced the Foxes to 183 all out after Northants' opening 387.

Varun Chopra's entertaining 56 was not enough for Essex as they failed to force a victory against Derbyshire at Chelmsford.

After being set a target of 312 from a minimum of 45 overs, Essex never remotely threatened to get into a winning position as they finished on 120 for three.

Derbyshire, after they had started the day on four for one and an overall lead of 136, reached 179 for six before declaring.

Sporting Life / Eurosport