Middlesex kept Nottinghamshire at bay on the final day to secure a draw at Lord's
Wednesday 15 April 2015 23:58, UK
Middlesex produced a gutsy rearguard action to bat through the final day against Nottinghamshire and draw their opening LV= County Championship Division One game of the season.
The hosts had been on the back foot all match but managed to stave off defeat by finishing on 300-7, with Nick Compton (85) and captain Adam Voges (72) making key contributions.
Middlesex began the day on 57-1 and, with a victory target of 519 surely unattainable, occupation of the crease was their main aim.
With Dawid Malan unlikely to bat due to a hand injury, Notts probably only needed eight wickets to win, but Compton and Nick Gubbins kept them at bay for most of the morning session.
The duo took the score, and their partnership, to 132 before Gubbins fell to Samit Patel for 37.
That brought Aussie Voges to the crease and he settled in for a lengthy stay, adding 42 with Compton.
However, it was 174-3 when Compton was caught at slip by Riki Wessels off Harry Gurney, 15 short of a century, and Gurney struck again with his very next ball, Paul Stirling caught by Patel at second slip.
John Simpson (11) then did well to occupy the crease for over an hour before he was bowled by Jake Ball but Notts sensed victory after tea when Voges was bowled by the impressive Gurney (3-69) for 72.
However, James Harris had embarked on a crucial innings at the other end, finishing on 36 not out and batting for over two hours.
And, although Patel (2-67) trapped Tom Helm (5) in front, Tim Murtagh (18 not out) came in and proved a superb foil for Harris.
The duo withstood all Nottinghamshire threw at them, batting out the final 74 minutes to earn a really hard-fought draw for their side.
Nottinghamshire director of cricket Mick Newell said: "It felt a little like the one that got away but we didn't ever get that close. Nine down is the one that gets away, seven down we could have been there for another hour and a half and not got them.
“But, because we played good cricket for four days, we do feel a bit deflated about it.”
Compton was in better spirits and said: "The great escape. It was a hell of an effort from the guys.
“I don't think many would have given us a chance when we went in yesterday but the way Gubbo (Gubbings) batted was phenomenal. For a young guy who has just come into the team, he looked very organised, and his guts and determination bode well for everyone.”
Elsewhere, Sussex got their Division One campaign off to a fine start with a 92-run victory over Hampshire at the Ageas Bowl.
Seamer Matt Hobden and part-time spinner Luke Wells took four wickets between them as Hampshire were bowled out for 285, well short of their target of 378.
Having been on the back foot for the first two days, Hampshire had given themselves a small chance on day three by bowling Sussex out for 164 and then reaching 181-4 in their second innings.
However, they still needed another 197 on the final day and got off to a bad start when, with just one run added to the overnight score, Will Smith (23) was caught down the leg-side by a juggling Ben Brown off Hobden (2-54).
Hobden picked up another wicket in his next over when he bowled Adam Wheater (12) before Gareth Berg (14) was caught at short extra cover, giving Ajmal Shahzad (3-63) his sixth wicket of the match.
Having made 66 not out in the first innings, Sean Ervine again played well for 42 but it was 244-8 when he was caught by Craig Cachopa off Wells’ first delivery.
Chris Wood (30) and Danny Briggs (10no) then played positively to add 26 in 5.2 overs, Wood smashing a straight six off Wells.
But Wood was then caught behind off Steve Magoffin and Wells bowled James Tomlinson (6) to wrap up the win.
Sussex captain Ed Joyce said: "It is great to get a win under our belts against a really good team.
"We let ourselves down with the bat in the second innings, to give them a sniff of victory, but our bowlers throughout the game were outstanding and so was our catching. Both of those things helped us win the game.”
Hampshire skipper Jimmy Adams said: “It's not ideal or what we envisioned. We missed a big score from one of the top six, which was the difference in the two teams."
