So it all comes down to this. After five months of hard graft, guts, joy and pain, Lancashire’s hopes of winning their first outright LV= County Championship in 77 years is out of their hands.

After another impressive all-round team performance the Red Rose are on course to beat Somerset at Taunton on the final day of the campaign today.

But to claim the title they need already-relegated Hampshire to deny title rivals Warwickshire a win at the Rose Bowl.

And with Hampshire already three wickets down in their second innings and still trailing the Edgbaston side by 126 runs, it looks a huge ask.

Victories for both Lancashire and Warwickshire will see the trophy head to Birmingham by two points, with both teams having won a remarkable 10 matches. Five wins have sometimes been enough to take the crown in previous years.

If Lancashire, who have Somerset in trouble at 105-5 in their second innings with the home side just five runs ahead, do fall short it will be the sixth time in 14 seasons they have finished runners-up. And they were third in 2007 when they were just 25 agonising runs short of winning the title at the Oval.

But whatever happens, skipper Glen Chapple believes he and his men should be proud of what they have achieved.

“If someone offers you 10 wins at the start of the season, you’d bite their hand off,” said Chapple, who played a key role with both bat and ball yesterday despite suffering what he believes is a torn hamstring.

“We would take that next season as well. Whatever happens, if we do win this game, we’ll have had a great year.

“Hampshire are a good batting side, and it’s a good pitch at the Rose Bowl, but we’ve just got to get on with our stuff and hope that’s enough.

“We can’t affect games going on 100 miles away.”

The lead at the top of the table changed hands four times as Lancashire and Warwickshire traded bonus points yesterday.

And although the Red Rose claimed maximum batting points for the first time this season as they made 480 in the first innings – a lead of exactly 100 – Warwickshire replied with maximum bowling points as they forced Hampshire to follow on, giving them the two-point advantage.

Lancashire’s hopes were boosted by a Bury fan as Hampshire’s Liam Dawson – whose parents are from the town – made an unbeaten 152 to hold off Warwickshire. But it wasn’t enough to stop them following on. And with no more bonus points available, Lancashire have to now win and hope Warwickshire lose or draw.

The Red Rose innings was a perfect example of the team ethic which has characterised their season as , for the first time in 54 years and for only the second time in the club’s history, every batsman reached double figures.

Stephen Moore’s 68 was the highest, but there were also half-centuries from Karl Brown and Steven Croft and crucial knocks from Kyle Hogg (46), Chapple (23), and Simon Kerrigan whose 40 was by far the best in his first-class career.

And despite being strapped up, dosed up and in obvious pain, Chapple opened the bowling to claim the wicket of Arul Suppiah.

Kyle Hogg got Alex Barrow and Chris Jones to take his tally past 50 for the season and Keedy and Kerrigan then claimed the key scalps of James Hildreth and Josh Buttler who had put on 67 for the fourth wicket.

Now Lancashire supporters will become Hampshire fans for the day.

For all the action from the dramatic final day, follow Chris Ostick’s Twitter @LancscricketMEN. Tweet