Torrential rain during the morning forced the loss of 34 of the scheduled 104 overs of the first day here at Hedge End.
Captain, Paul Stirling won the delayed toss and elected to bat in what looked like a very astute move as himself and Steve Eskinazi scored briskly to push the score to 124 before the fall of the first wicket.
Hampshire’s hand had been forced a little with the loss, due to illness, of Jordan Rollins, meaning that spin was prevalent for much of the day. This though proved a godsend for the home side as almost without exception Middlesex struggled to keep up their early run rate or indeed occupy the crease for any substantial amount of time.
Close: Middlesex 230-8
