MATCH REPORT | GLOUCESTERSHIRE V MIDDLESEX | ROTHESAY COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP

MATCH REPORT | GLOUCESTERSHIRE V MIDDLESEX | ROTHESAY COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP

Match report by ECB Reporters' Network supported by Rothesay

DAY FOUR

Middlesex were frustrated by the Bristol weather in their pursuit of victory over Gloucestershire on the final day of the Rothesay County Championship Second Division match at the Seat Unique Stadium.

Chasing 362 to win, Gloucestershire subsided to 145-9 and were on the brink of a tenth defeat in 13 red ball games when rain saved them. Seamers Toby Roland-Jones and Ryan Higgins had taken 4-30 and 3-35 respectively, only for the defiant last-wicket pair of Matt Taylor (16 not out) and JT Langridge (1 not out) to hold out for seven overs before umpires Hassan Adnan and Ben Pevarall took the players off at 4.10pm with 41 overs still available.

Harry Duke had earlier fashioned an enterprising 94 from 116 deliveries as Middlesex posted 361 in their second innings. Langridge took three of the last four wickets to fall to finish with 5-87, his second five-for in as many matches for Gloucestershire.

Playing their final match ahead of Sunday’s Metro Bank One Day Cup final against Leicestershire at Trent Bridge, Middlesex took 13 points, while Gloucestershire were fortunate to emerge with 12 from their first draw of the season.

Middlesex resumed their second innings on 298-6, a lead of 328. Having raised a cautious half century the previous evening, Duke did his best to enliven proceedings, smashing Langridge over the long-off boundary for six. The on-loan Somerset seamer responded by persuading Zafar Gohar to flash at a short-pitched delivery and offer a catch behind. Unperturbed, Duke continued to lay down the law, pulling Taylor behind square for another six as he continued to move through the gears.

Sebastian Morgan came and went quickly, pulling Taylor high to Kamran Dhariwal at deep mid-wicket, while Langridge bowled Roland-Jones in the next over to further reduce the visitors to 343-9. Duke was by now in full-on one-day mode, ramping consecutive Taylor deliveries for four, only to then pull a delivery from Langridge straight to deep mid-wicket in pursuit of the six that would have brought him a second hundred in as many matches. Langridge had greater reason to be satisfied after registering his second five-wicket haul in his third Gloucestershire appearance.

Middlesex immediately applied pressure with the new ball, Higgins getting one to nip back and bowl Ollie Price between bat and pad in the second over. Roland-Jones then pinned Joe Phillips in front with a delivery that kept low and Miles Hammond opened the face and guided the next ball to Sam Robson at second slip, bagging a pair as Gloucestershire slumped to 18-3.

James Bracey drove Higgins through the covers to raise a thousand first-class runs for the second successive season, but Tommy Boorman fell later in the same over, pushing tentatively at a delivery from Higgins and offering a low catch to a tumbling Roland-Jones at third slip. When the ubiquitous Roland-Jones trapped Bracey lbw in the next over, shell-shocked Gloucestershire were 36-5 and staring down the barrel.

Dhariwal and Daz Ahmed mustered resistance of sorts in a sixth-wicket stand of 41, only for the former to play on and succumb to Danru Ferns for 15 as the home side limped to 77-6 at lunch.

The seventh wicket pair of Ahmed and Ed Middleton advanced the score to 111-6 before rain moved in, causing the loss of an hour and 20 minutes and 16 overs, during which time tea was taken.

Higgins quickly made up for lost time, drawing Middleton into a shot and Duke taking a regulation catch behind. Roland-Jones then had Ahmed expertly held by Caleb Falconer at extra cover for 42 as the home side continued to subside. Middlesex turned to spin thereafter, Zafar removing Sai Kishore lbw before light rain returned to force the players off for a final time. Rain continued to fall and the umpires took the decision to abandon at 5.24pm.

DAY THREE

Sam Robson led the way with 92 as Middlesex built a strong position on the third day of the Rothesay County Championship Division Two match with Gloucestershire at the Seat Unique Stadium, Bristol.

The opener hit 10 fours in facing 198 balls to help his side progress their overnight second innings score of 17 without loss to 298 for six, a lead of 328, Ben Geddes making 57 on a pitch starting to assist the spinners.

Harry Duke’s unbeaten 52 late in the day cemented the Middlesex advantage against a Gloucestershire attack that kept a tight rein on the scoring rate, seamer JT Langridge and leg-break bowler Ed Middleton claiming two wickets each.

Despite overnight rain, play started on time in bright sunshine. Robson soon signalled his intention to play positively with a flowing extra cover drive for four in the opening over, sent down by Langridge.

Unbeaten on ten at the start of play, Luke Hollman helped take the score to 50 before losing concentration against left-arm seamer Langridge. He survived a chance to first slip on 24, taking two runs, only to edge the next delivery straight to Ollie Price at second slip.

It was 57 for two when Middlesex skipper Max Holden nicked a delivery from Daaryoush Ahmed, the ball striking wicketkeeper James Bracey, standing up to the stumps, before looping to Price, who held a comfortable catch.

By lunch, Robson and Geddes had advanced the total to 93 for two, a lead of 123. Robson was unbeaten on 44, while Geddes had hit left-arm spinner Sai Kishore for a straight six on his way to 16 not out.

The afternoon session saw Robson got to fifty with a single to cover off Ahmed, having faced 129 balls and hit 6 fours. He was fortunate when edging the same bowler just short of third slip with the total on 134, but produced some fine forcing shots off the back foot through the off side.

Geddes followed to the half-century milestone off 118 deliveries and the pair had added 113 when he miscued an attacking shot off Middleton to be caught at cover. At 170 for three, the Middlesex lead was exactly 200.

There were signs of turn for Middleton and Kishore, who produced a beauty to remove Robson in sight of a century, the ball straightening from around the wicket to beat the outside edge of a forward defensive shot and strike off stump.

At tea Middlesex were 193 for four, leading by 223. Middleton bowled tidily from the Ashley Down Road End either side of the interval, giving little away, and was soon celebrating a second wicket as Ryan Higgins, on 13, sliced a catch to Matt Taylor at backward point.

By the end of his spell, Middleton had figures of two for 43 from 16 overs. He was replaced by Langridge, who struck in his first over of the session, finding a gap between Caleb Falconer’s bat and pad to bowl him for 31, watchfully compiled off 73 balls.

At 240 for six, Middlesex led by 270 as Harry Duke was joined by former Gloucestershire player Zafar Gohar. Duke produced some handsome drives including a sweetly-timed straight boundary off Ollie Price as the pair extended the advantage beyond the 300 mark.

The floodlights were on as the day’s play drew to a close at which point the seventh-wicket stand had passed the half-century mark and Duke had reached fifty off 85 balls to ensure Gloucestershire would face a stiff final day target.

DAY TWO

Daaryoush Ahmed and Sai Kishore shared an eighth-wicket stand of 144 to dig Gloucestershire out of a hole on the second day of the Rothesay County Championship Division Two match with Middlesex at the Seat Unique Stadium, Bristol.

After the visitors had added just two runs to their overnight first innings score of 324 for nine, JT Langridge claiming the last wicket for figures of three for 82, Gloucestershire slipped from 79 for one in reply to 128 for seven.

But that was as good as it got for Middlesex. South Asian Cricket Academy product Ahmed hitting a career-best 90 not out off 117 balls, with 6 fours and 3 sixes, while India A spinner Kishore contributed 71 from 131 deliveries, clearing the ropes seven times.

Their combined efforts saw Gloucestershire bowled out for 296, just 30 runs behind. By the close, Middlesex had made 17 without loss in their second innings and led by 47.

Langridge has proved a shrewd late season signing for Gloucestershire. The 20-year-old Devonian, on loan from Somerset, took his wicket tally to 13 in three Championship appearances when bowling Dan Ferns in the fourth over of the morning. Toby Roland-Jones was left 45 not out.

The hosts had progressed to 42 in reply when Joe Phillips, on 23, edged a defensive push off seamer Sebastian Morgan through to wicketkeeper Harry Duke. Ollie Price and Tommy Boorman were forced to battle hard as they progressed the score to 68 for one at lunch.

Price had taken 74 balls over his 15 and was unable to add in the afternoon session before Ryan Higgins sent his middle stump cartwheeling. Three balls later Miles Hammond edged to second slip and departed for a duck with the scoreboard reading 79 for three.

Boorman fought tenaciously for his 32 off 54 deliveries before suffering the same fate as Price, his middle stump uprooted by the inspired Higgins to make it 100 for four. Kamran Dhariwal then fell for a 25-ball duck, caught behind defending a ball from Morgan.

Higgins, a Championship promotion winner with Gloucestershire in 2019, finished his spell from the Ashley Down Road End with figures of three for 16 from 11 overs, five of them maidens.

Gloucestershire were in grave danger of following on when Ed Middleton recorded the third duck of the innings, leg before to Morgan. At 128 for seven, the home side trailed by 198 runs.

But 25-year-old Ahmed gradually grew in stature to be unbeaten on 36 at tea, with Kishore offering staunch support on 18. At that point the stand was worth 45.

A pulled single by Ahmed off Ferns took Gloucestershire past the follow-on figure. His next single, from a Morgan no-ball, brought up the half-century stand.

Ahmed’s own fifty was reached with a push into the off side off Higgins, having faced 87 balls and hit 3 fours and a six. The next target was to pass his previous highest first class score of 52, made in the previous game against Lancashire at Old Trafford.

That was accomplished with a boundary off Ferns. All the while Kishore was gaining in confidence, damaging Higgins’ figures with a big six over long-off. The 29-year-old left-hander cleared the ropes on four other occasions in a 114-ball half-century, his first for Gloucestershire.

Another maximum followed off Zafar Gohar as Kishore and Ahmed took their stand past the century mark. Ahmed joined in the aggression with a straight six off leg-spinner Luke Hollman and soon the hosts were celebrating an unlikely batting point.

Kishore eventually perished to a catch in the deep off Hollman, who pinned Matt Taylor lbw with his next ball before ending the innings by bowling Langridge with Ahmed ten short of a maiden century.

Middlesex were left with ten overs to bat. Openers Hollman and Sam Robson watchfully saw them through to stumps.

DAY ONE

Middlesex tailenders Sebastian Morgan and Toby Roland-Jones joined forces to frustrate Gloucestershire on the opening day of the Rothesay County Championship Second Division match at the Seat Unique Stadium, Bristol.

Roland-Jones chiseled 44 not out from 98 balls and staged a stubborn ninth-wicket partnership of 74 with Morgan, who contributed 38 and struck seven boundaries as the visitors recovered from 222-8 to post a handy 324-9 after winning the toss.

All but one of the Middlesex batters made it into double figures, but none managed a half century, Caleb Falconer top-scoring with 49, his highest first class tally in his fifth appearance. Seamers James Langridge and Matt Taylor took two wickets apiece and slow left-armer Sai Kishore weighed in with 2-54 from 26 overs on a used pitch which is expected to offer increased assistance to spin as the game goes on.

Having elected to bat, Middlesex lost both openers with the score on 15. On loan from Somerset, Langridge bowled Luke Hollman via a thickish inside edge, while left arm seamer Taylor, bowling around the wicket to the right hander, got one to straighten and knock back Sam Robson's off stump.

Gloucestershire's bowlers were on top and Langridge should have collected another wicket in the seventh, Max Holden edging to third slip where Miles Hammond uncharacteristically fumbled. Pinned in front of the stumps by the next delivery, Ben Geddes was hugely relieved to hear a no-ball called. They might have enjoyed outrageous good fortune, but the third wicket pair made good their escape, rebuilding steadily in a restorative third-wicket partnership of 66 in 17 overs.

Called into the attack inside the first hour, Kishore lured Holden forward, located his outside edge and celebrated as Ollie Price stooped to conquer at slip. Acting as captain in the absence of Leus du Plooy, Holden had scored 41 from 71 balls and struck seven boundaries, helping Middlesex reach lunch on 91-3.

Geddes and new batter Falconer added 49 for the fourth wicket and advanced the score to 130 before their serene progress was interrupted by a Kishore wicket maiden. Playing back to a ball that straightened, Geddes was bowled for 38 to set the tone for a session in which the visitors lost five wickets for 92 runs.

Benefitting from a positive approach, Falconer rose to the challenge posed by Kishore, dancing down the pitch and crashing the Indian international high over the long-on boundary. The England Lions batter was one run shy of a maiden first-class fifty when Daz Ahmed found his outside edge and Ed Middleton pouched a fine reaction catch at first slip. Ryan Higgins then attempted to drive at a wide delivery from Taylor and nicked off to Ollie Price at second slip as Middlesex slipped to 180-6.

Harry Duke and Zafar Gohar mustered dogged defiance in a stand of 42 for the seventh wicket and the game was evenly poised when the visitors suffered a double lapse shortly before tea. Running the ball down to backward point and setting off in pursuit of a notional single, Duke was run out for 30 by Ahmed's throw. When Zafar contrived to surrender his wicket in identical fashion and fell to Taylor's throw in the next over, Middlesex were 222-8 and under pressure going into the final session.

Determined to keep the home side in the field for as long as possible, Roland-Jones and Morgan offered stiff resistance. Having safely negotiated the spinners, they then survived five overs against the new ball before Langridge bowled Morgan with the score 296-9. Thereafter, Roland-Jones and debutant Danny Ferns (12 not out) survived long enough to bank a second batting bonus point and ensure Middlesex finished the happier of the two sides.