Match Centre

MATCH REPORT | MIDDLESEX V NORTHAMPTONSHIRE

Match report provided by the ECB Reporters Network.

DAY FOUR

Sam Robson became Middlesex’s first centurion of the season – but it was not quite enough to seal a much-needed LV= Insurance County Championship victory in a breathtaking finish against Northamptonshire at Merchant Taylors’ School.

Robson struck 126 not out, sharing a fourth-wicket stand of exactly 150 with John Simpson to boost the home side’s chances of chasing down 323 against their fellow Division One strugglers.

Middlesex needed 10 from the final over, bowled by Tom Taylor – and three from the last ball – but Robson could only steer it to mid-on and scrambled back for two, meaning the scores finished level.

The resulting draw did little to help either side’s prospects in the battle to avoid relegation, with Northamptonshire staying bottom of the table and Middlesex now 16 points above them in ninth.

Northamptonshire’s players took to the field wearing black armbands as a mark of respect for county stalwart Tony Kingston, who passed away on Wednesday at the age of 83, having served as their scorer for 32 years up to last season.

Surprisingly, the visitors – who were 372 for seven overnight – opted to continue batting, but extended their innings by just 11 deliveries as the last three wickets tumbled for the addition of eight more runs.

Tom Helm collected two in three deliveries to finish with three for 75, while Emilio Gay was last man out for 89, sent back attempting to snatch an ambitious single and failing to beat the throw to the bowler’s end.

Middlesex gave notice of their intent by promoting white-ball specialist Stephen Eskinazi to open, but the move fell flat as a recurrence of the finger injury he sustained while fielding on the first day forced him to retire just two overs into the chase.

With a number of deliveries keeping low, the batting side found it hard to gain traction and they were pegged back even further when Ben Sanderson’s consistent opening spell yielded wickets in successive balls.

Mark Stoneman was first to depart, adjudged lbw to one that might have drifted down the leg side – but there could be no dispute about the next, which ripped out Pieter Malan’s off stump.

Middlesex might have been three down soon afterwards when Max Holden drove a ball to square leg and non-striker Robson eventually aborted his bid for a single halfway down the pitch, but Sam Whiteman’s throw whistled just over the stumps.

Holden began brightly after lunch, cutting Sanderson for two boundaries and looked nicely set, contributing 37 to a partnership of 63 with Robson until off-spinner Rob Keogh castled him with a ball that turned and clipped the bails.

Keogh bowled tidily throughout an initial 11-over stint, although Simpson drove him off the back foot for four to raise the Seaxes’ total beyond three figures as he and Robson kept the scoreboard ticking along.

Robson inched towards his second half-century of the season by steering Tom Taylor for three, but the required rate had already drifted above five an over by the time Middlesex reached tea at 147 for three.

The first seven overs after the interval brought just a single boundary and the Seaxes were still struggling to accelerate when the partnership finally came to an end, with Luke Procter keeping his balance in front of the rope at long off to take the catch that removed Simpson for 75.

Procter also dismissed Ryan Higgins, who miscued to midwicket, but Roland-Jones launched a feisty assault with 34 from just 18 deliveries, including three sixes, to steer his side within 40 of the target.

Josh de Caires, with an unbeaten 17, did his best to help Robson haul them across the line, but Sanderson conceded only four from the penultimate over and that proved crucial as Northamptonshire did enough to deny their rivals victory.

DAY THREE

Sam Whiteman and Luke Procter shared Northamptonshire’s highest partnership of the season to give their side hope of forcing a crucial LV= Insurance County Championship win against fellow strugglers Middlesex at Merchant Taylors’ School.

Whiteman batted most of the day for his majestic knock of 114 on a pitch that showed signs of flattening out, adding 158 with his captain for the third wicket after Emilio Gay had limped off injured.

However, the opener later returned to the middle, scoring a valuable unbeaten 84 that enabled the visitors to set another record by posting 372 for seven, their highest red-ball total of the summer and an overall lead of 314.

With an overnight declaration likely and both sides – who occupy the relegation places in Division One – desperate for victory, it sets up an enthralling final day.

Northamptonshire resumed their second innings just three runs behind the home side and wiped out that deficit when Gay flicked Ryan Higgins to long leg in the second over of the morning.

Minutes later, however, the opener was hobbling off in the direction of the dressing room, having pulled up after completing a single and Procter took his place at the crease.

The skipper registered his side’s first boundary of the day, clipping opposite number Toby Roland-Jones neatly to the rope as both he and Whiteman proceeded to take advantage of wayward deliveries on the leg side.

Apart from one wild thrash outside off stump by Whiteman against Tom Helm, there were no alarms for either of the pair as they extended their side’s lead to 51 before rain arrived around 12.30pm.

With lunch taken early, only 20 minutes were lost and, soon after the resumption it looked as though Helm had fashioned a breakthrough when an apparent leg-glance by Whiteman, on 29, flew into John Simpson’s gloves.

But umpire Paul Pollard remained unmoved by Middlesex’s impassioned appeal and the Australian continued to make steady progress as he brought up his half-century, pulling Ethan Bamber to the fence at square leg.

The home side rotated their bowlers – including eight overs of Sam Robson’s occasional leg-spin – without success and Whiteman’s edge through the slips off Roland-Jones for four lifted the partnership into three figures.

Another downpour later in the over triggered a further delay at 161 for two but, once the players re-emerged, Procter completed a watchful half-century, his second of the campaign, from 135 deliveries.

Middlesex took the new ball at the earliest opportunity, reverting to an all-seam approach and they finally claimed the day’s first wicket in the 63rd over when Procter cut uppishly at Helm and Josh de Caires, at deep third, judged the catch perfectly.

Gay, who restarted his innings on 24, appeared to be unhampered by his earlier injury and promptly pumped two leg-side fours off Higgins before dancing down the track to slam De Caires for six.

Whiteman advanced to his hundred from 220 balls, driving Helm off the back foot for three as Northamptonshire began to accelerate and he eventually lost his off stump to Roland-Jones, attempting to pull.

Saif Zaib soon followed, caught at point after miscuing a reverse sweep off De Caires, who also collected the wicket of Tom Taylor before a brisk knock of 48 by Rob Keogh helped Gay to propel the total beyond 350.

DAY TWO

Ryan Higgins displayed his all-round prowess on day two of Middlesex’s LV= Insurance County Championship Division One basement battle with visitors Northamptonshire at Merchant Taylors’ School.

Higgins, in his second spell with the tenants of Lord’s, made 64 not out, his sixth half-century of the season to steer the hosts from the perils of 127-5 to only their second batting bonus point of the campaign and a total of 277 – a first innings lead of 58. Mark Stoneman was Middlesex’s other half-centurion with 51 while Max Holden made 41. Rob Keogh impressed with his off-spin for Northamptonshire, returning three for 53, while Ben Sanderson took three for 76.

Not content with his batting efforts, Harare-born Higgins then removed both Ricardo Vasconcelos and Justin Broad when Northamptonshire batted again, the visitors almost achieving parity by the close on 55-2, three runs behind.

While Northamptonshire relied on stoic defence for their score on day one, Middlesex adopted more of a risk and reward approach, playing more shots, rotating the strike and wherever possible turning ones into twos to put pressure on the fielders. In the end it brought some reward, though on a pitch of already variable bounce it remains to be seen whether a 58-run lead will be sufficient for a side who have to bat last.

Stoneman signalled Middlesex’s more aggressive intent with two fours from one Jack White over before striking the seamer back over his head for six.

Nightwatchman Bamber kept Stoneman company through the first seven overs, taking a little more of the shine off the Kookaburra ball before Sanderson uprooted his middle stump.

It would be the visitors’ last success for some time as Stoneman and fellow former England opener Sam Robson forged a half century stand at not far shy of a run a ball. Stoneman twice savagely cut Sanderson to the fence at point while Robson found the cover boundary twice with dreamy drives.

However, the right-handed Robson, like many in the match before him, never looked set and it was no surprise when White found the edge of his bat to give wicketkeeper McManus the first of his four victims behind the stumps.

Stoneman became the first batter in the match to reach 50 only to fall in White’s next over when a shortish ball didn’t get up high enough for his attempted pull shot and instead picked out the left-hander’s middle stump. And when Pieter Malan and John Simpson departed to Sanderson and Tom Taylor respectively either side of the lunch interval Middlesex looked set for the batting equivalent of ‘Groundhog Day.’

It was now Higgins made his entrance, promptly pulling his first ball through square leg for four, but thereafter it was Max Holden who made the running in their stand of 64, cutting and driving the seamers before greeting spinner Keogh with a reverse sweep for another boundary. Again though, just as the former England U19 skipper appeared set, Keogh got one through his defences to trap him on the crease.

Josh De Caires didn’t stay long and when Stephen Eskinazi batting at nine because of the finger injury sustained on day one edged into the hands of Gay in the gully Middlesex’s lead was a mere 11.

Higgins though went through to a controlled 50 from 85 balls with six fours and with the help of skipper Roland-Jones steered the hosts to that second batting point of the campaign, a landmark greeted with loud, if a little ironic applause from the Middlesex faithful.

The eventual lead of 58 while not massive looked useful and Higgins struck in his first over to cut short a blossoming Ricardo Vasconcelos effort on 22.

Broad soon followed when he edged through to Simpson, who was standing up to the stumps to stop the batter batting out of his crease to negate the prospect of being leg before.

DAY ONE

Middlesex’s pace attack shared the honours as they bowled out fellow strugglers Northamptonshire for 219 on the opening day at Merchant Taylors’ School.

Toby-Roland Jones, Tom Helm, Ethan Bamber and Ryan Higgins claimed two wickets apiece to ensure the visitors failed to add to their one batting point this season despite an excellent 49 from all-rounder Saif Zaib.

The hosts sent Bamber in as nightwatchman alongside regular opener Mark Stoneman and the pair batted through the five remaining overs with some comfort to close 23-0 in replay.

For any who’d had enough Bazball drama from the Headingley Test this was if you like the anti-dote, or a day for the county cricket connoisseur – a day of line and length bowling with every run hard earned.

Northamptonshire chose to bat on winning the toss but runs proved hard work from the get-go. Boundaries were rare while the visitors struggled to rotate the strike, so allowing Middlesex to dictate the pace of the game. And frustratingly for Northamptonshire, every time a batter appeared set a wicket would fall.

Ricardo Vasconcelos was a case in point when shortly after finding the boundary for the third time he feathered one from Higgins (2-33) through to wicketkeeper John Simpson.

That brought debutant Justin Broad to the crease, the German international playing his maiden first-class game after signing a contract with the Steelbacks last month. Plenty of playing and missing followed as he and opener Emilio Gay rode their luck, though each occasionally broke the shackles, Broad cutting one fiercely to the fence at point while Gay unfurled one majestic cover drive.

Middlesex’s breakthrough came when Josh de Caires was thrown the ball for the obligatory spinner’s over before lunch. Fresh from his career best 7-144 against Hampshire a fortnight ago, he promptly beat Gay’s tentative defensive prod to trap him on the crease.

The afternoon’s play was soporific. Broad began with successive fours off Helm, but once the bowler extracted revenge by trapping him leg before the runs all but dried up. There were long passages between wickets, but Northamptonshire’s batters struggled to advance the game.

Sam Whiteman nicked Higgins to the recalled Stephen Eskinazi at slip, the catcher immediately leaving the field. News came later Middlesex’s white-ball skipper had suffered a bruised finger and he may now bat lower down the order than originally planned.

Rob Keogh ate up 40 balls in reaching 12 before he was castled by Roland-Jones (2-49), who then had his opposite number Luke Procter caught behind in his next over.

At that stage Middlesex were almost through, but they gave a life to wicketkeeper Lewis McManus soon after tea, de Caires shelling the nick at first slip.

The drop proved costly as with the Kookaburra ball having gone soft, McManus proved a good foil for the more expansive Zaib, who drove the ball more convincingly than his teammates further up the order.

The new ball was taken in gloomy light, Bamber’s first ball spitting off a length and striking Zaib a nasty blow on the hand.

He quickly recovered as the half-century stand was raised around a brief stoppage for bad light, before Bamber trapped McManus lbw for 24, the third Northamptonshire batter to be out for that score.

Helm got rid of Tom Taylor with a short ball though his attempts to catch Zaib similarly in two minds failed spectacularly when the all-rounder hooked successive balls over the ropes for six, shots out of context with everything that had gone before.

The blows raised the 200 but Bamber bowled Zaib one short of what would have been an excellent 50 before a comical run-out ended the innings.