Match report provided by the ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay.
DAY TWO
Kent skipper Daniel Bell-Drummond led his side’s fightback by posting his first red-ball hundred in over a year on the second day of their Rothesay County Championship clash against Middlesex at Lord’s.
Bell-Drummond, who averaged single figures this season going into Kent’s second innings, finished unbeaten on 103 as his side progressed to 226 for four – a lead of 117 – when bad light ended play.
He shared a second-wicket stand of 109 with England’s Zak Crawley, who was dropped at second slip off Dane Paterson on three and recovered to score 68, his third half-century of the season.
Middlesex failed to gather any batting bonus points earlier in the day, with Ryan Higgins top-scoring on 54 as they lost their last six wickets for 61 and were bowled out for 238.
The home side began the day with a 29-run advantage and Higgins soon advanced to his second successive half-century, swishing George Garrett through the vacant second slip region for four.
But, having stretched their overnight partnership to 81, Higgins and Ben Geddes departed within the space of three balls – Joey Evison judging a catch in the deep perfectly to remove Geddes before Garrett castled Higgins with a beauty that hit the top of middle stump.
It needed a robust stand of 42 between Jack Davies and Toby Roland-Jones to extend the hosts’ lead into three figures as Davies pulled Evison for the game’s first six and struck Matt Parkinson for successive boundaries.
However, the leg-spinner tempted Davies to drive again, pouching a return catch that sandwiched Evison’s dismissals of Roland-Jones and Henry Brookes to wrap up Middlesex’s innings.
That left Kent to negotiate five overs before lunch – and Crawley was fortunate to do so, his third delivery looping off a leading edge to fall just short of point before Sam Robson spilled the chance to dismiss him in the next over.
Robson made amends by snapping up Ben Compton’s edge at head height off Roland-Jones, but that was Middlesex’s sole success until mid-afternoon as the clouds dispersed and the visitors capitalised on the improved batting conditions.
Bell-Drummond gradually settled into the groove, pulling a short ball from Brookes to the rope to raise his 50 partnership with Crawley, who adopted a merciless approach towards anything wide from the seamers.
The 27-year-old drove confidently on both sides of the wicket, dispatching a loose delivery from Higgins to the cover fence to reach his third half-century of the campaign from 62 balls as Kent wiped out their first-innings arrears.
Paterson finally achieved the breakthrough, bringing one back down the slope to pin Crawley on his back leg shortly before Bell-Drummond passed 50, hammering a Roland-Jones half-volley to the boundary.
Tawanda Muyeye fell soon after tea, lbw prodding at Higgins and there was a scratchy start for Jack Leaning, caught on the shoulder by a ball from Roland-Jones that reared up just after his inside edge had zipped narrowly over the stumps for four.
Leaning’s innings ended when he skied an attempted pull to mid-on before his successor as Kent captain chalked up a 19th first-class century from 168 balls – albeit in untidy fashion, slicing Paterson just over the slip fielder’s head for four.
That boundary came just in time for Bell-Drummond, with umpires Rob Bailey and Anthony Harris taking the teams off the field three balls later.
DAY ONE
Toby Roland-Jones’s latest five-wicket haul gave Middlesex the edge on a bowler-dominated opening day against Kent at Lord’s.
The evergreen former England seamer took 5-33, the 33rd time in his career he’d achieved a five-wicket haul as the visitors were skuttled for 129.
Tawanda Muyeye top-scored with 29, but Zak Crawley’s poor run of first-innings scores continued as he made only six
Kent though hit back with ball in hand on an unusually sporty Lord’s pitch, offering both seam and a hint of turn, George Garrett taking 2-39 as the hosts reached 158-4 at stumps with Ryan Higgins 44 not out.
Crawley, named this morning in the squad for the Test against Zimbabwe in less than three weeks, was undone by a beauty from South-African quick Dane Paterson which angled in before leaving him off the pitch, beating his outside edge and pinning him in front.
With his departure Roland-Jones took centre-stage. The Seaxes skipper, who would have played many more than his four tests for England were it not for two stress fractures of the back when at the peak of his powers, demonstrated again, even at 37, his relentless accuracy can harass top quality players into error.
Kent skipper Daniel Bell-Drummond appeared a little skittish before Roland-Jones produced a fullish ball which he nicked to wicketkeeper Jack Davies.
That brought Muyeye in to join Ben Compton, a pair whose record third-wicket stand had won the reverse fixture between the sides three weeks ago.
Any psychological scars were banished when Compton, having grafted for an hour, shouldered arms and was bowled by Higgins.
Muyeye looked at ease, taking heavy toll of some loose deliveries from Henry Brookes, dispatching him to the short boundary three times in two overs.
Roland-Jones though would return to dismiss him on the stroke of lunch, Higgins providing safe hands at gully.
If that was a good catch, his left-handed grab to remove the dangerous Jack Leaning soon after the resumption was sensational and gave Roland-Jones his fourth victim. The five-for was celebrated shortly afterwards courtesy of Chris Benjamin’s nick behind.
Paterson provided good support, though Joey Evison looked unlucky to be adjudged lbw with question marks over both height and line.
Brookes mopped up the tail leaving the as ever self-effacing Roland-Jones to reluctantly accept acclaim for his bowling feats as he reached the pavilion.
With so few to defend and a bowling attack shorn of the likes of Nathan Gilchrist and the man who has often proved Middlesex’s nemesis Grant Stewart, they found a new-ball hero of their own in Garrett.
In his first Championship game of the season, Garrett accounted for both openers, Stephen Eskinazi castled by one which pitched middle and clipped the off bail, while Robson, on his return from Paternity leave was unlucky to be adjudged leg before to one seemingly missing leg.
The in-form Max Holden with over 500 runs so far in the campaign including two centuries at Lord’s also fell cheaply courtesy of Leaning’s super catch at slip.
Luke Hollman, into the side at a career-high No.4 in place of the injured Leus du Plooy off the back of scoring 160 in the 2s last week, counter-attacked, some powerful drives taking him to 42 before Matt Parkinson got one to turn and take the edge.
Higgins and Ben Geddes then further steadied the home ship with an unbeaten fifth-wicket stand of 62 to leave Middlesex in front ahead of day two.
Before play began, the MCC gave Middlesex employee Lorraine Poole the honour or ringing the 5-minute bell to mark the last day of her 25 years of service to the club.
Middlesex Men
Kent Men
