DAY THREE - CLOSE OF PLAY
MIDDLESEX 177 a/o & 334 a/o
ESSEX 280 a/o & 232/5
ESSEX WIN BY 5 WICKETS
Resuming on 272/5, Middlesex continued brightly at Radlett as the hosts were able to keep the scoreboard ticking at a steady rate before Andersson was caught by Pepper off the bowling of Sohi for 43. A useful 35 run parternship between Perera and Reingold further added to the score, before Perera was dismissed by Dixon. The hosts struggled from this point on as wickets fell at regular intervals, with Middlesex eventually being bowled out for 334.
In response, with Velani and Patel at the crease Essex got off to a solid start, with the pair putting on 60 before the former was dismissed by Andersson. With Taylor the new man at the crease, another strong 61 run parternship followed, before Andersson sent Taylor back to the pavilion to claim his second wicket of the afternoon with Essex on 121/3. Ravi Patel claimed his first wicket of the day in the following over to dismiss Rishi Patel, caught by Sowter for an impressive half century. With the visitors on 135/4 and with Beard and Pepper at the crease, the pair enjoyed a very useful 64 run partnership to draw Essex closer to victory and despite losing the wicket of Beard, the visitors won the game at Radlett by 5 wickets.
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DAY TWO - CLOSE OF PLAY
MIDDLESEX 177 a/o & 272/5
ESSEX 280 a/o
With Essex closing Day One at Radlett on 149/1 Middlesex knew that a strong start was required with the ball in order to defend their first innings total of 177. This is exactly what happened at Radlett, as the hosts took the early wicket of Taylor, with Bamber claiming the wicket. This was the start of a superb spell for Bamber as the bowler also took the wickets of Patel and Pepper, reducing Essex to 173/4. The visitors struggled from this point onwards as regular wickets coupled with impressive spells of bowling were a feature of the Essex innings, who at one point were reduced to 210/8. However, a useful 9th wicket partnership of 54 between Snater and Sohi helped the visitors to a strong finish, although Essex were eventually bowled out for 280.
In reply, with Lace and Gubbins at the crease, Middlesex got off to a superb start as the pair put on an impressive 130 run partnership before the former was caught by Pepper off the bowling of Nijjar. The wicket of Lace soon followed with Nijjar once again causing problems, with Pepper taking the catch this time. Another useful 62 run partnership between Scott and White helped keep the scoreboard ticking before the latter was dismissed by Taylor. A fifth wicket partnership of 47 shared by Perera and Andersson further strengthened the hosts innings, before Andersson was sent back to the pavilion. Middlesex closed the day on 272/5, leading the visitors by 169 runs.
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DAY ONE - CLOSE OF PLAY
MIDDLESEX 177 a/o
ESSEX 149/1
Essex won the toss and elected to field at Radlett in our penultimate 2nd XI game of the season. With Lace and Gubbins opening the batting, Middlesex got off to a useful start as the pair put on 34 before the former was bowled by Beard for 14. Gubbins followed shortly after, with Beard again being the bowler to take the wicket. The hosts struggled in the middle order as the next 3 wickets fell with just a further 39 runs added to the scoreboard. However, an innings high partnership of 46 between Reingold and Andersson helped Middlesex strengthen their total, before the former was caught by Pepper off the bowling of Dixon, with the hosts on 134/6. Despite Andersson's impressive 62, the hosts struggled with their tail-end batting and were eventually bowled out for 177 at Radlett.
In response, Essex got off to a blistering start and with Velani and Patel at the crease, the pair were able to put on a solid 87 run partnership before the former was bowled by R Patel for 53. Taylor then joined Patel at the crease and the pair were able to bat out the day, with the visitors finishing on 149/1 after the opening day at Radlett.
