Men’s Head Coach Peter Fulton has named a squad of 14 for this week’s Rothesay County Championship clash against Durham at Banks Homes Riverside.
It was confirmed by the club earlier today that Leus du Plooy has been reclassified as an overseas player and therefore his registration as a local player is no longer valid. The club remains in discussions with ECB and PCA around this issue. In his absence, Max Holden will lead the side this week.
The larger squad making the trip up north will allow those not in the playing XI to have white-ball practice in preparation for our Metro Bank One-Day Cup Final against Leicestershire Foxes on 20 September.
With the absence of Du Plooy, Fulton will have to change his top order. Luke Hollman has certainly impressed as an opener recently, scoring 137 runs in two games at Merchant Taylors’ School, however he could drop into the vacant number four spot, with either Nathan Fernandes or Josh de Caires coming in as Robson’s opening partner.
The addition of Danru Ferns has added depth to Fulton’s squad, providing an opportunity for some of the seamers to have some rest during this busy period. He’s one of six seamers who have made the trip up North this week.
This week’s opponents, Durham, look set to win promotion back to Division One on their first attempt. Ryan Campbell’s side remain undefeated in the Championship this year, winning eight of their 11 games. Their leading run scorer, David Bedingham, became the second player to surpass 1,000 runs in the 2026 season across the circuit in their 153-run victory over Northamptonshire last week.
Middlesex came out on top in the two One-Day Cup fixtures between the sides this season, including that famous semi-final win at Radlett last month. In the Championship, the two sides drew at Lord’s back in May. Ryan Higgins scored a century in that one, with Emilo Gay and Bedingham also reaching three figures in a high-scoring game.
Play is scheduled to get underway at 10:30 on all four days in Chester-le-Street. You can watch the action live on the Match Centre on the Middlesex website. You can also stay up to date across our social media channels.
Middlesex squad to take on Durham
Durham Men
Middlesex Men
