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MIDDLESEX V SOMERSET | MATCH REPORT

Match report provided by the ECB Reporters' Network.

DAY THREE

Craig Overton recorded his best figures this summer to propel Somerset to their first LV= Insurance County Championship win of the campaign as they crushed Middlesex by an innings and 13 runs at Lord’s.

Overton finished with five for 46, supported by fellow seamer Peter Siddle’s effort of three for 57, to dismiss the home side for 216 second time around, with more than four sessions to spare.

Mark Stoneman, who occupied the crease for almost three hours in compiling 60, was the only man to register a half-century in a Middlesex side who have managed to post in excess of 250 only once this season.

Somerset’s victory was only their second red-ball success away from Taunton in more than two years, the other coming against neighbours Gloucestershire at Bristol last summer.

Stoneman and Stephen Eskinazi, who resumed on a steady 81 for one, ground it out for the bulk of an attritional first hour, with almost five overs from Matt Henry and Overton yielding just a single leg-bye.

Although Stoneman tucked Overton away for a single soon afterwards to bring up his second half-century of the summer, Middlesex’s solid base was swiftly demolished by a fiery spell from Siddle at the Pavilion End.

The seamer’s first delivery was carved for four by Eskinazi, but his second jagged back to clip the Middlesex vice-captain’s off bail and his departure for 28 signalled a familiar middle-order collapse.

Stoneman – bowled by an unplayable Henry delivery first time around – was unlucky to fall victim to another ball of similar quality from Siddle, which seamed and careered into his off stump.

Somerset collected three more wickets in the space of 21 balls before lunch, with Overton accounting for Max Holden and John Simpson to sandwich the first delivery of Jack Leach’s spell that pinned Robbie White leg before.

Luke Hollman and Ryan Higgins displayed some fighting spirit after the interval, with the left-hander driving Henry twice off the back foot to the short boundary as he contributed 28 to their seventh-wicket partnership of 44.

Although Hollman was caught at third slip, Toby Roland-Jones took up the baton by giving Leach the charge and also hammered Overton over long-on for two fours in a cameo of 27 from 24 balls.

But Overton had the final word, bowling the Middlesex skipper before completing his side’s win as Higgins (31) hooked him into the safe hands of Lewis Gregory at long leg.

DAY TWO

Matt Henry took centre-stage with bat and especially ball as Somerset forced hosts Middlesex to follow-on on day two of their LV = Insurance County Championship clash at Lord’s.

The New Zealand paceman, who took 4-93 against England in a Test at Lord’s eight years ago, again excelled at the home of cricket, returning 5-45 as Middlesex were bundled out for 175 in their first innings.

Henry's heroics with the ball came hot on the heels of a swashbuckling 40 in the day’s first hour which propelled the Cidermen beyond 400.

For the Seaxes it was sadly a case of rinse and repeat where their batters were concerned, only a combative half-century from this season’s beneficiary, wicketkeeper John Simpson and a pugnacious 39 from Toby Roland-Jones saving them from greater ignominy. It’s now one batting point in 30 for Richard Johnson’s men this season.

Following on, Middlesex lost Sam Robson in reaching 81-1, Mark Stoneman having survived an edge to third slip unbeaten on 45. They still trail by 148 and face an uphill battle to avoid a fourth defeat in six games.

Somerset soon lost Craig Overton to Murtagh in only the third over the day, but that merely served to bring Henry to the crease and, no slouch bat in hand, he signalled his intent with a brutal drive back past the bowler to get off the mark with a boundary.

Thereafter, he struck the ball really cleanly to send six more deliveries to the ropes, though he was helped by some friendly offerings from the home attack.

In the blink of an eye Henry had reached 40 in only 22 balls and it needed the introduction of Higgins to end the revelry, the quick hooking a short one into the hands of Ethan Bamber behind square.

England spinner Jack Leach came out swinging, before losing his off-stump to Bamber, but Lewis Gregory ensured a fourth batting point.

It soon became apparent Henry’s whirlwind innings had merely been an hors d’oeuvres for heroics with ball in hand.

He and Overton subjected Middlesex openers Stoneman and Robson to a searching examination with the new ball, Henry in particular beating the bat with monotonous regularity.

It seemed as if the hosts had passed the test when with lunch looming Henry produced a Jaffa to get one between Stoneman’s bad and pad flattening the leg-stump. And Henry made that lunch all but indigestible for Middlesex by producing an outswinger first up to Stephen Eskinazi which he nicked through to wicketkeeper Steve Davies.

The hat-trick ball was delayed by the interval before Henry came close to the feat with a delivery, left by Robson, which missed his off-stump by the proverbial coat of varnish.

If the first two wickets could be put down to Henry’s brilliance the same wasn’t true of those that followed. Max Holden started well enough, twice driving Henry to the cover fence, only to then play no shot to one which came back up the slope and trapped him in front.

Robbie White’s first knock of the summer lasted two balls before skipper Lewis Gregory pinned him on the crease and when Robson became the latest Seaxe this season to be strangled down the leg-side, half their side were gone with just 70 on the board.

To his credit Simpson was at his gritty best, driving fluently and briefly threatening a counter-offensive in company with Higgins.

However, the latter missed a full toss from Leach (2-22) to be leg-before and with the rot set in Luke Hollman inexplicably reverse swept another from the England spinner into the hands of slip.

Simpson became becalmed and entrenched, before a seventh four took him to a 92-ball 50, while home skipper Roland-Jones came out firing, hitting cleanly through the mid-on mid-off arc to smite six boundaries in a rapid 39, the pair adding 54 for the eighth wicket.

But nemesis Henry returned to remove both Roland-Jones and Bamber to complete a five-for to condemn Middlesex to the follow-on.

DAY ONE

George Bartlett struck his first century of the season to give Somerset the upper hand at Lord’s after being put in on the opening day of their LV= Insurance County Championship match against Middlesex.

Bartlett, whose first four innings of the summer had yielded just 45 runs, cashed in after being dropped on 25 to share a third-wicket partnership of 183 with captain Tom Abell and transform the visitors’ fortunes.

Somerset lost both openers inside the first five overs, but Bartlett – who was eventually dismissed for 121 – and Abell oversaw their recovery to reach 325 for six at stumps, with Tom Kohler-Cadmore contributing a brisk knock of 68 from 60 balls.

Tim Murtagh and Ryan Higgins picked up two wickets apiece for Middlesex, with the others shared between Ethan Bamber and skipper Toby Roland-Jones.

Having won the toss and inserted the visitors, Roland-Jones initially justified that decision with his opening delivery, persuading Steve Davies to steer it into the hands of Stephen Eskinazi at first slip.

Eskinazi snapped up his second catch of the morning just three overs later, taking Tom Lammonby at the second attempt off Murtagh to leave Somerset in difficulties at 10 for two.

With the experienced Middlesex pair finding early movement, Abell and Bartlett had to withstand some pressure before gradually establishing control – the skipper timing his shots sweetly on both sides of the wicket.

At first, Bartlett looked less assured at the crease, struggling to get on top of Roland-Jones in particular and he was fortunate to survive when a loose edge off Bamber was put down by Eskinazi.

The post-lunch period developed into a race to reach the half-century mark, with Abell first to that landmark when he cut Bamber to the point boundary and his partner not too far behind.

The stroke that took Bartlett to 50 was less eye-catching – an involuntary edge off Roland-Jones that flew between wicketkeeper and first slip for four – but the 25-year-old visibly grew in confidence from that point on.

Bartlett pummelled Luke Hollman for two fours in his first over when Middlesex deviated from an all-seam attack and another crisp cover boundary off the leg-spinner took him to his century from 174 balls.

Abell looked on course to follow his team-mate to three figures until he drove at Higgins on 77 and speared to gully, where Eskinazi held on to secure a much-needed breakthrough for the hosts.

However, Kohler-Cadmore maintained his side’s momentum, clubbing Sam Robson back into the pavilion to get off the mark with a six and then thumping Murtagh for successive boundaries.

Bartlett’s innings, which lasted almost four and a half hours, eventually came to an end when he lofted Higgins towards mid-on and Roland-Jones judged the catch well, racing to his left.

But Kohler-Cadmore continued to make swift progress, leg-glancing Bamber’s full toss to the fence to bring up his half-century at exactly a run a ball – and inflicting further punishment on Murtagh as he whipped consecutive sixes over the short boundary.

The Seaxes’ player-coach had the final word, bowling Kohler-Cadmore around his legs with the next ball, but Somerset had already done enough to pocket their second bonus batting point by the time Bamber had James Rew caught behind in the penultimate over of the day.