Match Centre

MATCH REPORT | NORTHAMPTONSHIRE V MIDDLESEX

Match report provided by the ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay.

DAY FOUR

Luke Procter and James Sales both hit brilliant centuries to crown a remarkable Northamptonshire run chase against Middlesex as they reached their 311-run target in just over two sessions with 10 overs to spare at Wantage Road. It took Northamptonshire to their second Rothesay County Championship win of the season by four wickets and keeps their hopes of promotion alive.

Procter played a true captain’s innings of 107 (137 balls, 14 fours), his second ton of the campaign in a third wicket partnership of 156 in 26.4 overs with Sales who picked up the mantle when his captain fell, going on to make 108 (120 balls, 12 fours, 2 sixes).

Middlesex skipper Toby Roland-Jones (2-48) was left to rue his declaration calculations despite the visitors adding another 117 runs for the loss of five wickets in the morning session, Max Holden making 54 and Ryan Higgins a quickfire 44. With Roland-Jones calling time on 332 for eight, Calvin Harrison finished with figures of four for 107, while Liam Guthrie (2-60) took a further wicket to register a career best match haul of nine for 154.

It left Northamptonshire with 73 overs to reach their target at 4.2 runs per over, a rate they matched and then exceeded as the day wore on. Middlesex will also reflect on their fielding performance with Procter given three lives off dropped catches on 12, 27 and 88.

Earlier Middlesex resumed on 215 for three and were proactive from the outset as they went in search of quick runs to set up the declaration.

Holden was unable to press on further after his half-century, bowled by Guthrie, but Higgins motored on, hooking Guthrie for six, flat batting Procter down the ground and attacking the spinners. Harrison had the final word when Higgins was deceived by the wrong’un as he attempted to sweep, the ball hitting the base of middle stump.

A brilliant piece of fielding from Ricardo Vasconcelos accounted for Ben Geddes (24) as he swept Harrison. Vasconcelos took the catch on the square leg boundary, throwing the ball up as he stepped over the rope before walking in to pouch it safely.

Middlesex’s lower order tried to keep up the pace, but lost a couple of quick wickets, Luke Holman coming down the wicket to Lloyd Pope and picking out long-off while Zafar Gohar cut Harrison straight to extra cover.

With runs drying up, Roland-Jones called time to give Northamptonshire an awkward 20 minutes before lunch. It almost paid off when Vasconcelos edged Tom Helm, but Leus du Plooy shelled the chance at slip.

The hosts were gifted another life after the interval when Procter was put down by a diving Josh de Caires at midwicket, but they picked up Vasconcelos three balls later when he drove loosely against Roland-Jones, Hollman taking a tumbling catch at point.

Gohar found turn straight away, causing problems for the left-handers, bowling into the rough outside off-stump and almost removed Procter when he swept out to the square leg boundary. Hollman took an excellent running catch but could not hold on.

Amid a fiery but expensive spell from Higgins, Procter powered one down the ground while Harrison cracked him over midwicket for six before the bowler trapped him lbw with one that kept low.

Sales ran a single off de Caires to take Northamptonshire to 100 off 26 overs and dispatched Gohar over cow corner for six before Procter swept Gohar to bring up his half-century.

Sales was using his feet well against the spinners, coming down the wicket to drive Gohar through the covers, going back to cut him behind square and when Hollman dropped short, he whipped him through midwicket. On the stroke of tea, he swung de Caires high over midwicket as Northamptonshire went in on 149 for two, still needing 162 in 39 overs.

Northamptonshire came out firing after tea, Sales hooking Helm in front of square as he reached his half-century. Procter ran a quick two off Robson to reach his century, while Sales disdainfully put away a half-tracker, dissecting two fielders.

Runs kept flowing as Procter reverse swept Gohar for four to take the run rate required below three and bring up the 150 partnership, before he was trapped lbw by Robson.

Tim Robinson deposited a Robson full toss over extra cover, while Sales steered Roland-Jones down to third to take the target down to 50 and move into the nineties.

Northamptonshire lost a fourth wicket when Robinson lofted Roland-Jones to wide mid-off, but Sales continued to attack, coming down the track against Gohar to move to 99 before working Roland-Jones to fine leg to reach his century.

There was some late drama when Saif Zaib was caught on the boundary off Hollman and Sales finally departed, edging to slip off Robson. But with Justin Broad deploying his favourite sweep shot, Northamptonshire duly sealed the win.

DAY THREE

Josh de Caires struck 87 (144 balls, 12 fours), his highest first-class score, to put Middlesex in a strong position at the end of day three of this Rothesay County Championship match at Wantage Road. Playing his first game of the season, de Caires, who has batted at seven for the last couple of years as a spinning all-rounder, shared an opening stand of 89 with Sam Robson (48), the Seaxes finishing the day on 215 for three, a lead of 193.

It helped wrestle back the initiative for Middlesex after allrounder Justin Broad hit 70 (81 balls, 10 fours) and combined with Lloyd Pope in a record 10th wicket partnership for Northamptonshire against Middlesex to earn a slender first innings lead.

Broad and Pope’s heroics came after Ryan Higgins’ hat-trick spearheaded a Northamptonshire batting collapse in the morning session. From a dominant 342 for five, the hosts lost four wickets for eight runs in just 4.2 overs after Saif Zaib posted an excellent 102, his fourth century of the summer (170 balls, 13 fours), the first Northamptonshire batter since Ben Duckett in 2016 to reach that milestone.

Higgins finished with figures of three for 48 while spinner Zafar Gohar (5-121) took a further wicket to add to his four yesterday.

Earlier, resuming on 308 for five, Zaib and Lewis McManus looked to extend their defiant partnership which already extended into three figures.

Zaib’s progress through the nineties was eased when sub-fielder Stevie Eskinazi’s missfield gifted him a boundary. He reached three figures by bottom-edging an attempted reverse sweep past the keeper for four, but the shot proved his undoing later in the over when he picked out de Caires who took a stunning flying catch at backward point off Gohar.

That set in motion Northamptonshire’s collapse, as Higgins, employing a short-pitched tactic, had McManus fending a legside bouncer to the keeper with the final ball of the 103^rd over. He struck again with the first two balls of his next over to complete his hattrick. Rob Keogh moved across his stumps and was bowled around his legs while Liam Guthrie upper cut a short ball straight to point.

Broad was proactive from the outset, employing the sweep and reverse sweep against the spinners and muscling Gohar through midwicket.

With Pope providing solid support, Broad cut Gohar for four to bring up the 50 partnership and take Northamptonshire to 400. He pulled Toby Roland-Jones to the ropes, but the Middlesex captain couldn’t hold onto a difficult diving chance at midwicket, the ball going for four to bring up Broad’s half-century.

Middlesex targeted Pope with the short ball, but he was content to duck under the bouncers and take runs off the spinners and give Broad the bulk of the strike.

Broad duly wiped out the deficit and took Northamptonshire into the lead just before the delayed lunch interval before falling shortly after the resumption when he stepped away to a Sam Robson delivery which turned and hit leg-stump.

With the bat, Robson took three boundaries off Northamptonshire’s seamers but the hosts soon turned to the spinners.

While he bowled the occasional half-tracker which Middlesex punished, Pope obtained some sharp turn and bounce out of the foot holes, flighting the ball and finding some drift.

Calvin Harrison bowled tidily, conceding just one boundary in his first five overs. He posed some tough questions for both batters, beating Robson’s outside edge before de Caires failed to pick the wrong’un as Harrison found some sharp bounce off a good length ball. He struck with another wrong’un soon afterwards, trapping Robson lbw as he moved across his stumps.

de Caires drove Keogh both sides of the wicket off consecutive balls and slog swept Keogh before taking a single off Harrison on the cusp of tea to bring up his half-century off 84 balls.

After the break, de Caires was harsh on anything loose from the spinners, pulling anything short to the boundary as well as sweeping sweetly.

With de Caires and Max Holden extending their partnership to 65, Northamptonshire turned to Guthrie who made the breakthrough almost instantly, bowling a bouncer which lifted sharply to de Caires who could only fend to second slip.

Max Holden (35*) and Leus du Plooy (28) then added a brisk 48 together. du Plooy punched Guthrie off the backfoot to get off the mark and whipped Harrison through midwicket, while Holden dispatched Keogh back over his head.

Holden continued to accelerate, sweeping Harrison over midwicket and coming down the wicket next ball to power him over long-on.

du Plooy’s departure came via a bizarre dismissal in the closing overs. Caught in two minds, he seemed to be considering whether to reverse sweep or the run the ball down to third man but instead guided the ball straight to the keeper.

The day ended tantalisingly poised with Middlesex considering when best to time their day four declaration.

DAY TWO

Saif Zaib resumed his rich vein of Rothesay County Championship form by passing 50 for the fourth time in as many red-ball innings to spearhead Northamptonshire’s recovery against Middlesex at Wantage Road.

Despite Luke Procter’s knock of 62, the home side were under pressure at 132 for four when Zaib arrived at the crease, but the left-hander struck an unbeaten 83 to guide them to 308 for five at stumps.

Spinner Zafar Gohar prised out four of Northamptonshire’s top five before Zaib and Lewis McManus, who finished 55 not out, guided their side to a position of parity with an unbroken partnership of 111.

Middlesex had earlier posted 413, with overnight centurion Joe Cracknell dismissed for 112 as left-arm seamer Liam Guthrie registered career-best figures of seven for 94.

Beginning the day just three runs short of a fourth batting bonus point, Middlesex quickly secured that when Toby Roland-Jones hooked Procter to the boundary – and a fifth even looked within the realm of possibility.

Those hopes were dashed when Calvin Harrison pouched an outstanding one-handed catch at point, leaping to his right to cut off Cracknell’s robust drive and Lloyd Pope’s maiden Championship wicket in the next over castled Tom Helm to end the visitors’ innings.

Northamptonshire started well in reply, with Procter dispatching both Roland-Jones and Helm to the fence as he and Ricardo Vasconcelos – who looked scratchy at the outset – built an opening stand of 69.

The visitors tried a range of tactics without success, including the deployment of a heavily leg-side field for Ryan Higgins that included four men clustered around midwicket at one stage.

It was Gohar who eventually stifled Northamptonshire’s progress, switching ends prior to lunch and immediately tempting Vasconcelos to sweep him straight into the hands of deep square leg.

Promoted to three in the batting order, Harrison looked lively as he thumped Helm over midwicket for six, but Middlesex’s spinners soon established control and captured three further wickets during the afternoon.

Harrison was caught behind off an inside edge, playing back to Gohar, while Luke Hollman struck with his fourth delivery, deceiving James Sales with flight and hitting him on the toe to secure a leg before decision.

Procter, who completed his fifth half-century of the campaign, proved harder to dislodge but the captain was neatly snapped up at short leg off Gohar to leave Northamptonshire in some difficulty.

Displaying a tendency to play the spinners late, Tim Robinson began their fightback in tandem with Zaib, though a dreadful mix-up between the pair should have seen the New Zealander run out but for Leus du Plooy’s fumble in the field.

Robinson, signed on a short-term deal at Wantage Road, looked on course to mark his debut with a half-century, advancing to 43 before he was harshly given out leg before attempting to sweep Gohar.

However, Zaib maintained his side’s momentum, striking the ball cleanly on both sides of the wicket and passing 5,000 runs across all formats for Northamptonshire en route to his half-century from 87 balls.

McManus weighed in with a string of attacking strokes, cutting Gohar for two to post his fourth 50 of the season and take the partnership beyond three figures shortly before the close.

DAY ONE

Joe Cracknell scored an unbeaten 106, his maiden first-class century, while Leus du Plooy struck 66 as Middlesex staged a spirited fightback against Northamptonshire on day one of this Rothesay County Championship match at Wantage Road.

Keeper-batter Cracknell, whose previous best was just 33, having largely played white ball cricket to date, played a superbly-paced innings, facing 164 balls and striking 11 fours and a six to take the visitors to 397 for eight at stumps. It was Cracknell’s third century of the week after tons in each innings of Middlesex’s Second XI game against Glamorgan at Radlett.

Middlesex bounced back after Liam Guthrie, who took six for 87 with the Kookaburra ball, his first five-wicket haul for Northamptonshire, had the Seaxes reeling on 33 for three inside the first half an hour, removing the visitors top order.

But du Plooy (10 fours) started to revive Middlesex’s fortunes, sharing two 60-run stands, first with Ryan Higgins (25) and then with Ben Geddes (27). When they fell, Middlesex were still in a precarious position at 160 for six before Cracknell and Luke Hollman (51) combined to add 103 for the seventh wicket. Cracknell was then joined by Zafar Gohar and Toby Roland-Jones in stands of 81 and 53 at the end of a satisfactory first day in charge for Middlesex’s new interim men’s first-team coach Dane Vilas.

Earlier left-armer Guthrie struck in the second over, coming round the wicket. Josh de Caires fell into the legside trap as he worked one off his hip straight to leg gully. Then Max Holden was trapped lbw by a Guthrie delivery that moved in and straightened. When Sam Robson became Guthrie’s third wicket, edging low to Harrison at second slip, the visitors were in real trouble.

Leus du Plooy and Higgins rebuilt positively, keeping the scoreboard ticking as they put on 62. du Plooy garnered boundaries off backfoot punches off the seamers and played Guthrie down the legside for four to take Middlesex past 50 in the twelfth over before driving him sweetly through cover.

Higgins was proactive, strong on the reverse sweep against the spinners, but was adjudged lbw to a Justin Broad delivery that looked a little high as he stepped down the wicket aiming to play to leg.

du Plooy joined forces in another confident stand worth 60 with Geddes who started positively, Middlesex passing 100 in the 23^rd over before powering Broad through extra cover.

du Plooy meanwhile punched Guthrie off the backfoot through cover point and then pulled leg-spinner Calvin Harrison for four to reach his half-century just before lunch.

Runs flowed quickly against the seamers after the interval. Geddes punched Guthrie off the backfoot, while du Plooy drove Luke Procter for four before coming down the wicket and pulling him dismissively through mid-on. He had a rush of blood though, attempting to repeat the shot, failing to control it and instead top-edging to long-on where Rob Keogh took an excellent diving catch running back.

Geddes drove Procter handsomely through extra cover but departed soon afterwards, edging behind off a Broad delivery which held its line.

That brought together Cracknell and Hollman who started briskly, Cracknell pulling and driving Broad for consecutive boundaries.

Northamptonshire fielded four spinners and both batters took a liking to them with the ball offering little turn. Hollman hit Harrison back over his head, smashed him through the covers and swept behind square. He swept Lloyd Pope to the boundary too and drove his next ball through cover point.

Cracknell also tucked into the spinners, muscling Keogh down the ground before dispatching his next ball, a half-tracker, over midwicket for six to go past his previous highest score.

After tea, both batters reached their fifties and brought up the 100 partnership, but were parted next over when Hollman skied an attempted hook off Guthrie, Pope taking a good catch at deep-backward square leg.

Cracknell continued to locate the boundary, driving Broad through extra, pulling a Pope half-tracker through midwicket and pummelling Guthrie through extra cover.

Gohar (34) offered strong support as Cracknell neared three figures, taking consecutive boundaries off Procter with the new ball before Guthrie got one to lift, Gohar fending it to Vasconcelos at slip.

Cracknell smashed Guthrie through extra cover and then worked Broad into the off-side to take him to three figures and a well-deserved celebration before some Toby Roland-Jones fireworks (33*, 7 fours) ensured Middlesex rounded off the day positively.