Match Centre

MATCH REPORT | NORTHAMPTONSHIRE V MIDDLESEX | ROTHESAY COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP

By Jeremy Blackmore and Ben Kosky, ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay

Rothesay County Championship: Middlesex 341 & 353-3 v Northamptonshire 409. Match drawn. Northamptonshire 15 points, Middlesex 13 points.

DAY FOUR

Sam Robson hit a determined 162, his first century of the season, as Middlesex drew with Northamptonshire on the final day of this Rothesay County Championship match at Wantage Road.

Robson batted for over six hours, showing great patience as he waited to put the bad ball away, stroking 21 boundaries all around the wicket. He and Max Holden (86) had resumed this morning with Middlesex on 109 for one and a slim lead of 41 as they looked to make the game safe.

Northamptonshire meanwhile banked on an early burst from Ben Sanderson and Harry Conway in an attempt to make early inroads.

But as the Middlesex second wicket pair extended their overnight partnership to 165 in 47 overs, the draw quickly became the most likely outcome. Holden did fall to legspinner Calvin Harrison on the stroke of lunch, but Middlesex skipper Leus du Plooy countered in the afternoon with an aggressive 66 not out. He shared a stand of 152 with Robson, who passed his previous highest score of 126 not out against the Steelbacks.

Ultimately, with 63 overs lost to bad light on the first three days, there was not enough time for either side to force a result. The teams shook hands on the draw after tea after the light again caused the players to go off early with Middlesex 353 for three, leading by 285.

Earlier Robson survived after offering a tough chance to short midwicket from the second ball of the day, running a single to bring up his half-century.

He played a silky cover drive off Conway to mark the century partnership with Holden who reached his own 50 by pulling Sanderson behind square.

The pair saw off the initial burst from Sanderson and Conway and found it increasingly easy to score against the aging ball, 102 runs coming in the morning session. Robson moved through the eighties as leant into a glorious cover drive off Liam Guthrie and drove Harrison through the covers.

Holden though departed when he tried to pull one from Harrison which turned sharply and kept low.

Northamptonshire rotated their spinners after lunch, ensuring they moved ahead of the over rate, Robson driving Nathan McSweeney through cover before running a single to bring up his century.

du Plooy showed positive intent, cutting and sweeping to take Middlesex past 250. He reached his second half century of the match by pulling a drag down from Harrison, before driving Saif Zaib through mid-off.

Northamptonshire delayed taking the new ball until the 94^th over, opting to bowl Guthrie and Sales in order to manage the workload of their frontline seamers.

Robson cut Guthrie through backward point and then drove him through cover to go past 150 before a leg glance off Guthrie brought up Middlesex’s 350. Next ball though Robson departed when keeper Lewis McManus pulled off a stunning one-handed flying catch down the legside.

Middlesex went into tea, having added 141 in 37 overs in the afternoon session, but just one over was possible after the interval before the umpires took the players off.

DAY THREE

James Sales and Liam Guthrie both posted career bests with the bat as their ninth-wicket partnership of 74 tilted a close contest in Northamptonshire’s favour against Middlesex at Wantage Road.

Sales was last man out for 164, having shared a lengthy stand with fellow centurion Nathan McSweeney before tailender Guthrie’s spirited assault on the Middlesex bowling yielded 51 from 49 balls to stretch their side’s first-innings total to 409.

That gave Northamptonshire, chasing their first Rothesay County Championship victory of the season after two draws, a handy lead of 68, but Middlesex fought back with the bat to reach stumps 41 in front for the loss of Josh de Caires.

Sam Robson was one short of his half-century when the players went off for bad light, with Max Holden alongside him on 42.

Sales and McSweeney, whose partnership had already realised 131, continued to make steady progress during the first hour of play with a solitary scare – Sales’ edge off Ryan Higgins falling just short of the diving Joe Cracknell behind the stumps.

Bowling with pace and zip, Naavya Sharma caused a few problems for McSweeney before the Australian took advantage of a looser delivery to whip a four off his hips that took him to his second successive century.

It was Tom Helm who eventually broke the stand of 164, persuading McSweeney to clip straight to midwicket and Northamptonshire were six down in the next over as George Bartlett left a ball from Sharma that fizzed back to hit the top of his stumps.

Sales remained unfazed at the other end, drilling Sharma to the cover boundary to bring up his fourth first-class hundred – and the third he has registered against Middlesex in the last three seasons at Wantage Road.

The new ball brought Middlesex further reward prior to lunch, with Lewis McManus – who had been dropped at slip off Helm – taken behind off a Higgins delivery that reared off the shoulder of the bat.

Ben Sanderson followed early in the afternoon session, caught at second slip off an outside edge with Northamptonshire still in arrears, but that quickly changed as Guthrie launched a fiery salvo against the seamers.

The left-hander patted his first ball from Sharma over the wicketkeeper’s head for four and maintained the offensive, pulling and hooking a string of boundaries before clubbing Toby Roland-Jones for six.

Another top-edged four off Helm took Guthrie to a 45-ball half-century and, once he finally fell to a sharp one-handed catch by Robson at second slip, the home side were within sight of a fourth batting bonus point.

Sales, having cracked Luke Hollman for two sixes to pass 150 for the first time, duly notched up that collective target with a boundary off Roland-Jones before holing out to long-off on the stroke of tea.

There were a couple of early alarms for Middlesex’s openers when they began their second innings, with De Caires almost playing on and Robson’s edge off Harry Conway shelled at slip by Ricardo Vasconcelos.

But they did enough to see off Conway and Sanderson and it was home captain Luke Procter who achieved the breakthrough, winning an lbw decision against De Caires with Middlesex only halfway to wiping out the deficit.

Robson settled into the groove, though, cutting with authority and steering Guthrie to the midwicket fence to take his side out of the red, while Holden unveiled some classy strokes to negate the leg-spin of Calvin Harrison.

DAY TWO

Nathan McSweeney and James Sales combined in a commanding unbeaten century partnership to put Northamptonshire firmly back in contention at the close of day two of this Rothesay County Championship match against Middlesex at Wantage Road.

Australian international McSweeney hit a sparkling 87, while Sales struck 78, including 16 boundaries, as the pair helped the hosts recover after losing early wickets, adding 131 off 177 balls. Northamptonshire closed on 229 for four, trailing by 112 runs, Toby Roland-Jones taking two for 49 for the visitors.

Ben Sanderson claimed his second five wicket haul of the season as Middlesex were bowled out for 341 in the morning after resuming on 284 for six. Sanderson finished with figures of five for 62 while Harry Conway took three for 74.

Zafar Gohar was the last man out for a well-made 83 but picked up a groin injury while fielding early in Northamptonshire’s reply. Middlesex were given permission by the match referee to make their first injury substitution of the season, Luke Hollman coming in as his like-for-like replacement.

Earlier Gohar and Joe Cracknell extended their seventh wicket partnership to 140 before Cracknell (79) was caught at midwicket off Calvin Harrison. Roland-Jones was then well caught off the leading edge by George Bartlett at third slip, trying to work Sanderson to leg.

In a fiery burst with the new ball, Conway had Tom Helm ducking and weaving. Helm took on another short one from Sanderson though, only to top edge it to Conway at backward square.

Zafar found runs easier to come by, the highlight being a handsome straight drive off Sanderson. He was the last wicket to fall, caught off the top edge by Conway off his own bowling.

Northamptonshire had taken all 10 wickets in a Championship innings through catches for the first time in 21 years.

Middlesex’s bowlers found early movement, Luke Procter trapped lbw by Helm with Harrison departing next over without scoring, caught off the leading edge at cover.

Ricardo Vasconcelos (27) who got the bulk of the early runs, crisply upper cut a short ball from Helm, but fell on the stroke of lunch, edging Roland-Jones behind, to leave Northamptonshire 42 for three.

Northamptonshire picked up runs against Helm after lunch, McSweeney opening his account steering through midwicket before driving straight, while Saif Zaib collected consecutive well-timed boundaries.

McSweeney took a shine to Ryan Higgins’ medium pacers, taking three fours off one over, driving and punching square of the wicket and stroking majestically through extra cover.

He and Zaib marked their half-century partnership, but Naavya Sharma found some helpful away movement to entice Zaib into edging edge low to Sam Robson who held a well-judged catch at second slip.

McSweeney continued to find the boundary though, pulling Sharma and straight driving Roland-Jones before leaning into a flourishing square drive off Higgins to bring up his half-century.

Sales was distinctly unsettled early on, but he pulled Helm and drove through cover as he grew more composed. He brought up the 50 partnership with McSweeney just before tea when he edged Roland-Jones just wide of the slips.

Northamptonshire showed positive intent after the interval, scoring at over six an over. Sales led the charge, upper cutting Higgins over the slips and unfurling textbook cover drives off consecutive deliveries to reach his first half-century of the season. It continues his excellent form against the Seaxes, after centuries in each of the past two seasons.

McSweeney flashed one through the slips but brought up the century partnership in style by smashing Sharma back past him. Sales meanwhile showed disdain in putting away a Hollman half-tracker to take Northamptonshire past 200.

The runs kept coming, Sales opening the face to steer Higgins down to third before playing a decisive cut to backward point before the players went off for bad light.

DAY ONE

Zafar Gohar and Joe Cracknell both hit unbeaten sixties in an enterprising seventh wicket stand of 120 to prevent Middlesex from being bowled out cheaply on day one of this Rothesay County Championship encounter at Wantage Road.

The pair came together with their side in trouble at 164 for six and frustrated Northamptonshire’s bowlers for 32 overs either side of tea. Former Pakistan international Zafar, playing his 100^th first-class game, hit 62, his highest innings for the Seaxes, while Cracknell top scored with 66. They had taken the total to 284 for six from 73 overs when bad light stopped play early at 5pm.

Middlesex were in trouble early as Northamptonshire opening bowlers Ben Sanderson (3-49) and Harry Conway (2-63) took quick wickets. Sanderson then had both caught in the slips, giving the hosts hope they could finish off Middlesex cheaply, but Zafar and Cracknell had other ideas.

Earlier, Middlesex rued their decision to bat after winning the toss as Northamptonshire struck in the first three overs, Josh de Caires and Max Holden both well caught at short leg by James Sales off Sanderson and Conway respectively.

Conway soon picked up a second when Robson prodded outside off-stump and was well caught above his head by Calvin Harrison at second slip.

The ball kept nibbling around enough to keep the slip cordon interested, but runs started to flow more easily, du Plooy pulling and driving Luke Procter for consecutive boundaries.

Geddes was driving the ball cleanly too, and the pair marked their 50 partnership at just over a run a ball.

du Plooy brought up his half-century but fell two balls later when Sanderson nipped one away, drawing the edge, Ricardo Vasconcelos taking a low catch at first slip.

Geddes was soon into his work after lunch, looking assured as he unfurled a sumptuous cover drive to reach his half-century. Soon afterwards, though he edged behind against Sanderson, Harrison took a well-judged tumbling catch at second slip.

Ryan Higgins, who drove Conway through the covers early on, had played a largely supporting role to Geddes throughout their partnership of 45 in 10 overs. Growing becalmed, he tried to break the shackles, playing across the line to Harrison, only to pick out Saif Zaib at mid-on.

That brought Zafar out to join Cracknell, and his innings was not without risks. He went for his shots, often aerially, including upper-cutting Liam Guthrie for six, but looked more composed and assured as the afternoon wore on.

Cracknell, meanwhile, deployed the cut and pull against Harrison to garner boundaries and found runs against Conway too.

Both batters marked their half-centuries after tea, and while they each edged just wide of slip off Harrison, they looked largely untroubled before play finished early.