By Ben Kosky and Jon Batham, for ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay
Middlesex 430 & 146-4 (11 points) drew with Durham 567 (14 points)
DAY FOUR
A resolute half-century by Max Holden, his second of the match, prevented Durham’s third consecutive Rothesay County Championship victory as Middlesex battled to secure a draw at Lord’s.
Holden finished unbeaten on 77, sharing a key partnership of 82 with Ben Geddes (26) for the fourth wicket after the home side, 137 in arrears on the first innings, had slumped to 53 for three.
Matthew Potts and Callum Parkinson’s stand of 71 – a Durham record for the ninth wicket against Middlesex – enabled the visitors to post 567 in their first innings before seamer Ben Raine followed up his earlier five-wicket haul with figures of three for 23.
But Holden did enough to haul Middlesex towards safety before the contest was curtailed by bad light, ensuring the draw which was nevertheless enough to propel Durham to the top of the Division Two table.
Durham’s first-innings advantage stood at exactly 100 when play resumed in the morning and Potts (38) and Parkinson (28) embarked on a spirited half-hour thrash to stretch that by another 37 before the visitors were bowled out.
Parkinson threw the bat, picking up a trio of leg-side boundaries off Sebastian Morgan before he attempted to scamper a bye and Joe Cracknell’s quick reaction throw left Potts short of his ground.
Two balls later, Cracknell gathered a top-edged swing from Parkinson to wrap up the innings and give Middlesex a potentially tricky 88 overs to survive, with the floodlights on in gloomy overhead conditions.
Their task was made more difficult by the early departures of both openers, with Raine’s outswinger taking the edge of Sam Robson’s bat before Potts got a ball to climb viciously on Josh de Caires, who could only fend it through to Ollie Robinson.
Holden and Leus du Plooy dug in, but Raine inflicted a further blow on the hosts prior to lunch, switching to the Pavilion End and going around the wicket to have the skipper caught behind for 15.
Seamer Luke Robinson, making his red-ball debut as an injury replacement for Kemar Roach, delivered a lively spell after the interval, slanting the ball across Holden to beat his outside edge more than once.
But the left-hander kept his composure and advanced to 50 for the second time in the game by swatting a Potts bouncer to the grandstand fence, while Geddes’ sound defence repelled Parkinson at the other end.
The pair had whittled the deficit down to just two runs when Raine struck again, drawing a faint edge from Geddes for Ollie Robinson to claim his fourth dismissal of the innings and maintain pressure on Middlesex.
However, with the light deteriorating, Durham were forced to operate an all-spin attack in the run-up to tea, with Parkinson complemented by Ben McKinney’s off-breaks as the home side edged into a narrow lead.
One more over was bowled after the interval before umpires Ant Harris and Martin Saggers took the players off, with the match abandoned 15 minutes later.
DAY THREE
Emilio Gay and David Bedingham rewrote the record books for the second week running, both hitting centuries, as Durham seized a healthy first innings lead on day three at Lord’s
Gay, an articulate, quietly spoken left-hander, isn’t so much whispering as hollering ‘pick me’ to England head coach Brendon McCullum, who should be able to hear him all the way from New Zealand, after a cultured 129, albeit on a featherbed surface at the home of cricket, scene of the first Test against New Zealand starting a month tomorrow.
Bedingham’s own century (147) was more muscular as he and Gay surpassed Durham’s previous best third-wicket partnership record against their respective opponents for the second time in less than a week.
There was agony though for Kasey Aldridge who was pinned lbw one short of what would have been his first century for the county following his winter move from Somerset. He was one of four victims for the excellent Ryan Higgins (4-99) continuing his fine match after his first innings century
Gay’s audition for what, given Zak Crawley’s indifferent county form, looks an increasingly vacant opener’s spot against the Kiwis showed just about all of what a discerning selector would want to see.
The previous evening the 26-year-old had bristled aggression, raising his 50 at more than a run a ball, showcasing an array of shots which suggested he could play Bazball, assuming that remains a thing.
Here on the third day he was elegant, composed but at the same time showed he could adopt a plan B, content to play second fiddle to Bedingham following the early loss of teammate and potential rival for a Test call-up, Ben McKinney caught behind off Higgins for 56.
Gay worked the ball around entirely unflustered and although he was in the 90s for a while there was never a hint of nervousness. A steer down to third took him to the milestone, his first hundred at Lord’s and his 13th in first-class cricket – nothing unlucky about it.
Bedingham was all business from the start, crunching Eathan Bosch through mid-off for four before clubbing slow left-armer Zafar Gofar over the rope at deep mid-on.
The onslaught continued after lunch as Gohar was thumped back over his head for six, the host’s attack never able to emulate the more miserly bowling of the visitors over the first day and a half.
Bedingham’s hundred came in 131 balls as the pair surpassed the previous third-wicket record against Middlesex of 150, set by Australian Martin Love and Jonathan Lewis at Lord’s in 2002.
Fatigue as much as anything separated them in the end, Gay’s attempt to reverse sweep Josh De Caires resulting in the loss of his off stump.
Neither Graham Clark or Ollie Robinson stayed long, briefly raising the spirits of the toiling Middlesex bowlers.
Bedingham though found another ally in Aldridge, the pair adding 89 either side of tea, one cover drive in particular from the latter seeing him hold the pose for the cameras.
The former Cider-man moved to 50, before a tiring Bedingham fell with his 150 in sight, lofting Gohar to deep mid-off.
Ben Raine weighed in with a breezy 33 before Aldridge, who had twice charged De Caires before lofting him straight to the fence, saw his moment of glory snatched away in the evening sunshine.
DAY TWO
Ryan Higgins struck his first century for 20 months before Ben Raine hit back with a five-fer on a truncated day two of Middlesex’s County Championship clash with Durham at Lord’s.
All-rounder Higgins hadn’t passed three figures since August 31, 2024, but ended the drought with a pugnacious 131, sharing a seventh-wicket stand of 125 with Zafar Gohar (56), who passed 50 for the second innings running.
However, Raine gained reward for his nagging accuracy with two further wickets to add to his three from day one as he returned 5-58, the 18th five-wicket haul of his first class career. At the other end of the spectrum, 22-year-old Luke Robinson, who came in as an injury substitute for Kemar Roach on day one, picked up his maiden first-class wicket as the hosts were bowled out for 430.
England hopeful Emilio Gay then led the reply with a stylish unbeaten 75 at almost a run a ball as the visitors raced to 135-1 though Middlesex may live to rue dropping him at slip on 24. Whether England captain Ben Stokes, who was bowling in the nets earlier the day was still in attendance to see his effort remains to be seen.
The morning belonged exclusively to Middlesex. Resuming on 272-6 Higgins gave their effort early impetus, employing the hook shot to good effect against Matthew Potts.
Gohar, who’d been new to the crease the previous evening, was initially scratchy spending 30 balls over his first three runs before being given a life when David Bedingham dropped him off a flashing edge at second slip, the ball carrying to fence.
Freed up by the reprieve Gohar went on the attack depositing short balls first from Kasey Aldridge and then Robinson into the Grandstand.
At the other end, Higgins, whose early season batting form had been poor by his standards inched his way through the 90s before unfurling a lovely cover drive to reach the century which had proved elusive for so long.
Gohar’s 50 came shortly after lunch courtesy of a cracking straight drive, but Raine made sure he didn’t remain for much longer, uprooting the slow left-armer’s off stump as he swung across the line.
As so often after a long stand, Higgins’ magnificent effort came to an end soon afterwards, Raine completing his five-fer aided by a tremendous grab at slip by Aldridge low to his left.
The innings’ end came with Robinson’s magical moment, Roland-Jones trapped in front for a duck.
Inspired by his batting, Higgins soon struck ball in hand, trapping Alex Lees lbw, but that served to bring Gay to the crease.
The 26-year-old left-hander picked up where he’d left off against Lancashire last week, driving and cutting with authority from the get-go.
However, when you’re under the England spotlight you need a stroke of luck and Gay’s came on 24 when Sebastian Morgan found the edge only for the usually reliable Sam Robson to shell the routine chance at slip.
Scare survived Gay forged on, his eighth four bringing him to 50 in only 46 balls, while another of those on the England radar, former U19 skipper Ben McKinney (46*) proved an excellent foil in their century stand.
Gay hoisted Gohar for six in the gathering gloom, but his century, if that’s what it’s to be, would have to wait for another day as bad light and rain brought a halt with 17 overs left un-bowled.
DAY ONE
Sam Robson’s century partnership with Max Holden put Middlesex in a promising position before Durham struck back on a gritty, evenly balanced opening day at Lord’s.
Robson, who scored a fluent 87 to back up his hundred in the Seaxes’ last Rothesay County Championship game against Northamptonshire, shared a stand of 102 with the tenacious Holden (65) to guide their side to 136 for one.
Durham were hampered by a hamstring injury to opening bowler Kemar Roach, who limped off early in the afternoon, with Luke Robinson drafted in to make his first-class debut as the West Indies quick’s replacement.
But it was Ben Raine who seized the baton, bowling accurately and consistently to pick up three for 39 – including two wickets in an over – and stifle Middlesex’s progress before Ryan Higgins’ unbeaten 57 enabled them to close on 272 for six.
There were a couple of close calls early on for Robson after Leus du Plooy called correctly at the toss and unsurprisingly opted to bat in the sunshine.
Roach, returning to the Durham side after injury kept him out of last week’s victory over Lancashire, brought one back up the slope that took the edge of the opener’s bat – only for wicketkeeper Ollie Robinson to fumble the chance.
Robson also survived a strong lbw shout by Matthew Potts but gradually settled into his stride with two well-timed straight drives off Roach and Middlesex built steadily without ever really dominating the bowlers.
Raine claimed Durham’s solitary success of the morning, his fourth ball doing just enough to induce a thin edge from Josh de Caires and extend the batter’s run of modest scores – he is yet to reach 20 in six innings so far this season.
Holden started slowly, content to let Robson do the bulk of the scoring, although he pulled the reverse sweep out of his bag to good effect when Durham turned to Callum Parkinson’s left-arm spin.
Having gone to lunch on 49, Robson wasted no time after the resumption in chalking up his half-century, capitalising on the short boundary to cut Roach’s opening ball of the session beyond point for four.
That proved to be a profitable scoring area for Robson, who appeared very much on course to complete back-to-back centuries until he prodded at a Potts outswinger and was taken at slip.
Raine then struck twice in four deliveries, with Du Plooy caught behind fishing outside off stump and Ben Geddes departing for a duck – adjudged lbw to a ball that looked destined to miss leg – to put Middlesex on the back foot at 143 for four.
Higgins lifted the shackles by dispatching Kasey Aldridge for successive boundaries, while Holden brought up his half-century after almost three and a half hours at the crease as the pair guided their side to tea.
Aldridge should have removed Higgins, whose pull shot on 26 soared into the hands of Luke Robinson at deep square leg – and out again – but he did collect Holden’s scalp in his next over, courtesy of Emilio Gay’s impressive diving catch in the covers.
Joe Cracknell was quick to punish the occasional stray ball outside off stump as Middlesex rebuilt during the closing stages, with Higgins digging in to advance to his first half-century of the campaign.
However, Potts broke their sixth-wicket partnership of 72 just before stumps, trapping Cracknell in front for 42 to secure the visitors’ second bowling bonus point.
Middlesex Men
Durham Men
