Match report provided by the ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay.
DAY FOUR
Middlesex overcame stubborn Glamorgan resistance and the rain to beat the visitors by 9 wickets on the final day of their Rothesay County Championship Division Two clash at Lord’s.
Chris Cooke’s stoic 213-minute 69 and Ned Leonard’s career-best 47 led the Welsh rearguard the pair sharing a heroic stand of 88 for the eighth wicket – this after Sunday’s half-centurion Kiran Carlson had fallen without adding to his overnight score.
Timm van der Gugten contributed a useful 28, but they were bowled out for 329 shortly after 3pm, Toby Roland-Jones returning three for 68.
Needing 59, despite a lengthy rain delay, Middlesex got home with 13 overs to spare, Leus du Plooy 27 not out finishing the game with a six.
Carlson’s dismissal in Roland-Jones’ second over of the day was highly controversial. The Seaxes’ skipper bowled a great line, and the ball bounced a fraction on the batter who appeared to hit the back of his pad with the bat rather than making any contact. Carlson shook his head all the way back to the pavilion.
Cooke and new batter Van der Gugten dug in, the latter twice driving the Henry Brookes straight to the pavilion rope. It took Dane Paterson’s second delivery with the ripe cherry to beat the outside edge and clip Van der Gugten’s off-stump to end the stand of 47.
The resolute Cooke, who survived a huge Roland-Jones shout for lbw, found another staunch ally in Leonard, the pair ensuring Middlesex would have to bat again when the latter top-edged Paterson to the fence at third in the first over after lunch.
Cooke reached 50 with a sixth four tickled to fine leg and the 50 partnership soon followed. By now rain clouds were amassing to add to the host’s frustrations, Zafar Gohar’s emotions boiling over as he flicked the bails off with his hand in the aftermath of another lbw appeal answered in the negative. By the time Brookes had one upheld to end the obdurate Cooke’s 151-ball vigil, the lead was 50.
Gohar’s mood wasn’t helped by Jack Davies dropping Leonard off the very next ball, but left with the tail, the 22-year-old missed out on a maiden first-class half-century when he attempted a reverse-sweep later in the following over and was castled.
Shoaib Bashir needed a concussion check after being struck on the helmet by a short one from Brooks and the innings ended two balls later when the England spinner skied the seamer to mid-wicket.
Middlesex promoted Holden to open and he promptly deposited Leonard’s first ball into the Tavern Stand, only to fall later in the same over trying to repeat the shot.
Bad light and rain drove the players off soon afterwards with the score 16-1, leading to a two-hour delay. However, when the clouds dispersed the hosts coasted home with no further alarms.
Players wore black armbands and the pavilion flags were lowered in memory of former Welsh umpire Jeff Evans who died yesterday aged 70.
DAY THREE
Toby Roland-Jones struck twice in as many deliveries to boost Middlesex’s push for a first Rothesay County Championship victory of the season against Glamorgan at Lord’s.
Trailing by 271, the visitors responded with an opening stand of 93 between Zain ul Hassan and Eddie Byrom, but were pegged back to 148 for five when Roland-Jones bowled Colin Ingram and Ben Kellaway with successive balls.
However, Kiran Carlson’s defiant unbeaten 54 maintained Glamorgan’s hopes of staving off defeat, guiding his side to 186 for five – a deficit of 85 – at stumps.
Middlesex had earlier declared on 470 for nine, although both Leus du Plooy and Ben Geddes missed out on centuries, falling to Kellaway for 89 and 83 respectively as the Glamorgan off-spinner finished with four for 61.
Du Plooy, who resumed 15 short of a first ton of the campaign, added just another four to his overnight tally before being undone by a ball from Kellaway that pitched and turned to clip his off stump.
Geddes was the more fluent of the pair towards the end of their fifth-wicket stand of 131, slashing Timm van der Gugten twice to the third man fence as he advanced to within sight of his maiden century in Middlesex colours.
But Geddes became stuck in a rut, surrendering his wicket to Kellaway with a loose drive that sailed straight to short midwicket before Jack Davies, slog-sweeping the spinner, picked out Byrom diving to his left.
Roland-Jones restored some momentum to the innings with a pugnacious 31 from 27 balls, launching Kellaway for a straight six and clubbing Ned Leonard for a trio of boundaries in his first over of the morning.
Leonard had the final say by collecting Roland-Jones’ wicket, with Chris Cooke soaring to his right for an outstanding one-handed catch off the outside edge, then adding a stumping to dismiss Zafar Gohar in Kellaway’s next over.
However, there was to be no five-wicket haul for Kellaway, bowling unchanged from the Nursery End, as Middlesex declared following a few lively blows by Dane Paterson in order to put their opponents in again before lunch.
While the seamers beat the bat several times on either side of the interval, they could not find a way through – although there was a let-off for Byrom with five to his name, steering Roland-Jones to second slip only for the chance to go begging.
Byrom capitalised, dispatching successive Ryan Higgins deliveries to the leg-side rope and pummelling a Henry Brookes half-volley through the covers for four more while his partner also found ways to keep the scoreboard moving along.
With half-centuries firmly in their sights, though, the opening pair departed in successive overs as Byrom top-edged a sweep off Gohar to backward square and Higgins, who had just switched ends, had Ul Hassan caught behind.
That double success galvanised the home side, who struck again shortly after tea when Paterson nipped a ball away to pin Sam Northeast leg before – although height could well have saved the Glamorgan captain on another day.
Paterson’s swing continued to cause problems for the batters, with Ingram very much in survival mode and Carlson edging a ball that dropped fractionally short of slip’s outstretched hands.
But the Glamorgan pair added 40 before Roland-Jones brought himself back on to break the partnership, knocking back Ingram’s off stump and then dismissing Kellaway, who played on first ball.
Carlson continued the battle, bringing up his half-century from 84 deliveries, while Cooke remained alongside him on 16 when deteriorating light prompted the umpires to halt play five overs before the scheduled close.
DAY TWO
Max Holden’s seventh first-class hundred and his second of the burgeoning season at Lord’s allowed Middlesex to remain on top on day two of their Rothesay County Championship Division Two clash with visitors Glamorgan.
The 27-year-old left-hander, who made 184 in the season opener here against Lancashire, emerged from his cocoon of stoic defence in the morning to unfurl an array of attacking shots in the middle session in making 107.
Holden got the better of a joust with England spinner Shoaib Bashir in sharing a stand of 135 for the third wicket with Leus du Plooy (85 not out). Ben Geddes reached an unbeaten 50 in the day’s final over, while Nathan Fernandes (55) earlier also passed the half-century mark to leave Middlesex 353-4 at the close.
That the hosts were kept to a modest scoring rate overall, was largely down to Aussie-born Dutch international Timm van der Gugten (three for 55) who bowled beautifully and Glamorgan’s fielding, typified by two superb catches, was excellent all day.
van der Gugten produced the early wicket Glamorgan needed when he had Stephen Eskinazi reaching for one and edging backward of point where Ben Kellaway took a fine catch diving forwards.
It was the start of a probing spell from the veteran seamer and Holden took it upon himself to face the bulk of it to prevent further breakthroughs.
Such was his level of circumspection, the former England U19 accrued only 15 runs in the first session, facing in excess of 70 balls in the process. Nevertheless the objective was achieved and van der Gugten retreated into the outfield, his spell ending without further reward.
Fernandes grafted his way to his half-century, reached with his sixth four, a source of relief after four single figure scores so far in the campaign. However, van der Gugten returned to snare him caught at slip from the penultimate ball before lunch.
Whatever was on the menu, Holden appeared with a radically different approach on the resumption. Bashir was given an extended bowl from the Nursery End and Holden resolved to take him down, slog-sweeping into the Mound Stand before clubbing the off-spinner over mid-off for another boundary.
To his credit, Bashir got one to bounce and take the glove or top of the bat, the ball flying beyond slip’s right hand, before Holden resumed his assault, forcing him out of the attack.
Holden’s 50 came in 125 balls but he showed no signs of stopping. Asitha Fernando was twice cut to the fence at point and when the Sri Lankan paceman adjusted his length he was savagely pulled in front of square. Holden’s second 50 came in only 62 balls.
du Plooy, short of runs in the first two games was becalmed in comparison though one dream-like off-drive underlined his class as he and Holden raised a century stand.
The new-ball, ineffective so far in the game, brought reward once more for van der Gugten when Holden drove uppishly and was superbly caught by Zain ul Hassan on the cover fence before Ryan Higgins gloved an attempted hook to wicketkeeper Chris Cooke on the stroke of tea.
The evening’s fayre initially resembled that of the morning, du Plooy eventually making it to 50 after seemingly enduring a bout of the nervous 40s.
Nevertheless, he and Geddes (51 not out) reasserted control to come within three runs of a century stand by stumps.
DAY ONE
Middlesex’s bowlers shared the wickets around as they dismissed Glamorgan for 199 to take control on the opening day of their Rothesay County Championship Division Two encounter at Lord’s.
Skipper Toby Roland-Jones led a mid-afternoon recovery with three for 44 after Glamorgan had looked well-placed at 108 for one, while Middlesex debutant Dane Paterson was among another trio to collect two wickets apiece.
Opener Zain ul Hassan top-scored with 65, his second 50-plus score in as many innings, but the visitors failed to build on that solid foundation and needed Ben Kellaway’s maiden half-century, a fearless unbeaten 54, to get then anywhere near 200.
Middlesex openers Stephen Eskinazi and Nathan Fernandes reached stumps unscathed with an unbroken stand of 63 in response to leave their side trailing by 136 going into the second day.
The home side were finally able to include Paterson, whose commitments with Western Province had delayed his arrival at Lord’s by a fortnight and the South African seamer found some early swing after his side won the toss in cloudy conditions.
Ul Hassan survived two lbw appeals when Paterson made balls straighten up down the slope and there was another close call for the opener, whose leading edge looped up just short of Roland-Jones in his follow-through.
Yet Glamorgan made steady progress and it was one of Paterson’s wider deliveries that brought the breakthrough, with Eddie Byrom caught behind pushing at a ball well away from his body.
Sam Northeast – who became holder of the record individual score at Lord’s when he hit an unbeaten 335 in this fixture last year – was fortunate to escape an early dismissal, walking into a Henry Brookes delivery that appeared to hit his pads flush in front of the stumps.
However, the Glamorgan captain remained at the crease alongside Ul Hassan, who punched Brookes’ penultimate ball of the morning through the covers for three to raise his second successive half-century.
Paterson prised out Northeast after lunch, persuading him to nibble outside off stump and, with the visitors starting to become desperately bogged down, three more wickets followed in the space of 11 balls.
Roland-Jones accounted for two of those including the scalp of Ul Hassan, caught at second slip after Leus du Plooy’s brief juggling act, while Brookes removed the dangerous Colin Ingram as wicketkeeper Jack Davies claimed his fourth dismissal.
Kellaway counter-attacked, dispatching Brookes for a couple of sweetly-struck boundaries which briefly lifted the shackles before Middlesex’s seamers re-established their grip on the innings.
Ryan Higgins, at that stage the sole wicketless member of the quartet, made amends by collecting two in successive overs as he moved the ball away to clip the top of Chris Cooke’s off stump and then had Timm van der Gugten taken low at slip.
Having done his best to marshal the tail, Kellaway stepped up a gear once Ned Leonard and Shoaib Bashir had fallen to Zafar Gohar either side of the tea interval, clubbing the spinner for successive fours and slamming Paterson to midwicket fence as well.
Kellaway’s well-deserved half-century arrived courtesy of another leg-side four off Paterson and his efforts had guided Glamorgan tantalisingly close to the 200 mark when Roland-Jones dismissed last man Asitha Fernando.
Despite scoring only nine in his four previous innings this season, Fernandes looked assured as he and Eskinazi launched the home side’s reply, flicking Fernando past square leg for an early boundary.
Eskinazi began more sedately, but gradually overtook his partner as they chipped away at the deficit and the pair had posted 34 and 26 respectively when bad light brought play to a close.
Middlesex Men
Glamorgan Men
