Middlesex v Lancashire, Rothesay County Championship, Days 1-3

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Tom Helm captured four wickets for the second time in the match as Middlesex’s seamers steamrollered Lancashire for 136 to seal a Rothesay County Championship victory inside three days.

Helm finished with four for 36, while fellow seamers Toby Roland-Jones, Naavya Sharma and Ryan Higgins weighed in with two wickets apiece to trigger Lancashire’s collapse from 97 for three after they were set a stiff victory target of 297 at Merchant Taylors’ School.

Earlier, Middlesex endured a similar slump, losing seven wickets for just 40 as they stumbled to 200 all out in their second innings, with Roland-Jones contributing a valuable knock of 37 to stretch his side’s overall advantage.

Lancashire’s George Balderson claimed his second five-wicket haul of the summer and Keaton Jennings and Matty Hurst shared an opening stand of 57 to give the Red Rose renewed hope – but it was not enough to stave off their fourth defeat in five games.

Lancashire head coach Steven Croft said:

“We’re disappointed to lose by 160 runs but I think there are a lot of positives we do take forward. The way we showed up this morning and yesterday morning with the ball was a really good effort and the unity the guys showed out there was another positive to hang on to.

“Hursty’s had a tough year with the bat – for him to face nearly 200 balls on a tough wicket, in an opening role that’s a little bit foreign to him, shows the work he’s been putting in has come off a little.

“We need to do the hard yards for a bit longer, the pitch was a tough one with a bit of variable bounce but the opposition found a way, whether that was by being more proactive or sticking to the game plan and being a bit clearer.

“We have got a few inexperienced heads, which is not an excuse – we’ve got plenty of senior players as well and we were obviously short over the game as a whole.”

Day Two: Middlesex 247 & 116-2 lead Lancashire 151 by 212 with 8 second innings wickets standing.
A day of tumbling wickets in the Rothesay County Championship Division Two clash between Middlesex and Lancashire at Merchant Taylors’ School provided a glance back to England’s past and a glimpse into it’s possible future.

James Anderson (3-40), who almost didn’t take to the field because of ongoing struggles with a calf problem provided an exhibition of classic seam bowling, ably supported by Ben Walkden and George Balderson who took three wickets apiece to bowl the hosts out on the stroke of lunch for 247, Ryan Higgins making 44.

Middlesex though hit back to take charge, Tom Helm led the way with 4-40, while Ryan Higgins returned 3-39 and Naavya Sharma, already an England Lion, suggested he may one day be the man to assume Anderson’s mantle with 3-39 as the beleaguered Lancashire batters were hustled out for 151, Matty Hurst leading the resistance with 46. 

Middlesex stretched that lead to 212 by the close for the loss of both openers, Max Holden, who had been on a pair reaching a thrilling 50 at more than a run a ball in the final over of the day.

Lancashire assistant coach Will Porterfield said:

"We are behind by more than we would have liked in the game.

"I think we haven't got the rewards we probably should have done for how we've bowled throughout the game. We've been a little unlucky with that, but you've got to keep doing more of the same and hope you get a bit more luck and restrict them to what could hopefully be a chaseable total.

"We can't feel sorry for ourselves. Middlesex's total could easily have been 40 runs shorter than it was, around the 200 mark, and it would have been a closer first innings game.

"The pitch has done a little bit throughout, and I think it is going to get a little bit lower, but we've got to find a way of combatting that when we do get the chance to bat.

"Matty (Hurst) knock was a gutsy effort. He hasn't had the season he'd necessarily have liked, but it is not through lack of effort and trying and then he comes up on a trickier pitch, is asked to open the batting and has done very well." 

Day One: Middlesex 139-3 v Lancashire yet to bat.

Luke Hollman rained on Jimmy Anderson’s parade as Middlesex reached 139-3 on a murky, rain-reduced opening day of the Rothesay County Championship Division Two clash between Middlesex and Lancashire at Merchant Taylors’ School.

Anderson returned from a two month absence with a calf problem to lead a Red Rose County attempting to avoid one of the worst County Championship finishes in its history.

Displaying all the craft of his 44 years, Anderson took two early wickets on route to 2-30 on a day where only 39.5 overs were bowled due to rain and bad light.

However, Hollman, pressed into service as an opener for the second match in succession, passed 50 for the 10th time in his first-class career, finishing on 54 not out to lead Middlesex to calmer waters before the weather closed in.

Lancashire bowling coach Kabir Ali said:
"The wicket has got a little bit in it, so as long as you get your areas right there is always a bit of action. Hopefully tomorrow morning some early wickets will set us up nicely.

"I think we would have batted (had we won the toss) to try and put a bit of pressure on them and then see how the wicket played over the last two days.

"It's always a pleasure to have Jimmy. He is an absolute genius with the ball and the first two wickets were very good balls. Hopefully we get them out tomorrow morning or tomorrow afternoon and then put a decent total up.