DAY 2 STUMPS: SURREY 250-9d; MIDDLESEX 263-3*
On the second day of the three day practise match against Surrey, Middlesex batted the whole of a shortened day to finish on 263-3 after a total of 69 overs which gave them a lead of 13 runs.
On a gloomy day (the floodlights remained on throughout the day), Nick Gubbins and Nick Compton resumed their innings with Middlesex on their overnight total of 5-0 and the pair were still together at lunch. Both batsmen started confidently with Gubbins hitting four fours in the first five overs of play and Compton hitting three fours off Mark Footitt as Middlesex reached 39-0.
The scoring rate slowed against Matt Dunn who conceded only two runs in a five over spell of bowling but the hundred came up in the 26th over with Gubbins hitting Joe Burke for four fours in an over, the third of which brought up a 85 ball fifty (11 fours). Compton hit two fours in the following over from Pillans to reach his fifty (off 75 balls, 11 fours). The pair took Middlesex into lunch on 125-0 after 30 overs with Gubbins 55 not out whilst Compton was on 56.
Dunn and Footitt returned to the attack immediately after lunch and it was Dunn who got the breakthrough with the total on 147-0 when Nick Gubbins pulled him to deep mid-wicket where Meaker took the catch to dismiss him for 68 (off 110 balls, 15 fours). Steve Eskinazi joined Compton who was out in the following over when he hit a Footitt delivery straight to cover where Joe Burke took the catch to dismiss Compton for 65 (off 103 balls, 14 fours).
Paul Stirling joined Eskinazi who hit Dunn for two successive fours before he shouldered arms next ball and was bowled for nine to leave Middlesex on 157-3. John Simpson came in and hit the next ball for a straight four. After a period of consolidation where Gareth Batty bowled eight overs conceding only eighteen runs both batsmen played with confidence with Simpson hitting Joe Burke for three fours in an over. Paul Stirling reached his fifty in the last over before tea (off 90 balls, 1 six & 6 fours) and Middlesex went into tea on 258-3 after 67 overs (Simpson 43 not out).
Only two further overs were bowled after the break during which Middlesex advanced to 263-3 with Paul Stirling 61 not out (off 101 balls, 1 six & 8 fours) and John Simpson on 43 not out (off 95 balls, 8 fours). With the floodlights having taken over from natural light no further play was possible.
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