Nick Compton and James Franklin both hit unbeaten half-centuries to drag Middlesex from the precipice of defeat and warn champions Yorkshire they still had a fight on their hands at Lord’s.
The pair came together minutes before tea, when Middlesex had lost their fifth wicket and were still 50 runs short of making Yorkshire bat again.
But they defied the visitors throughout the evening session with an outstanding partnership of 131, which now leaves open the possibility of a Middlesex victory.
A remarkable first day had seen 19 wickets fall and Yorkshire retain their title thanks to Nottinghamshire’s struggles against Durham, and the match continued to enthrall on Thursday.
Yorkshire’s final pair added 61 to the overnight score of 238-9, with number 10 Jack Brooks making an unbeaten 50 and last man Ryan Sidebottom scoring 28.
Their hour of fun was cancelled out by Middlesex openers Sam Robson (53) and Paul Stirling (34), who put on 87 for the first wicket and chipped away at the deficit of 193.
But, having been 0-3 in the first innings on Wednesday, they repeated the mini-collapse without scoring again. Tim Bresnan bowled Robson and, in the next over, veteran spinner James Middlebrook removed Stirling before trapping Dawid Malan lbw for his second duck of the match.
Debutant Stevie Eskinazi made 22 but Steven Patterson bowled him and when Neil Dexter offered up a caught and bowled just before tea, Middlesex were facing a heavy defeat within two days.
Nick Compton had survived the flurry of wickets and was 20 not out when Franklin – and the interval – arrived.
In the 32 overs of the final session, they scored 19 fours between them as the Lord’s pitch flattened out under beautiful blue skies, a marked contrast to the bowler-friendly conditions of Wednesday morning.
Yorkshire, perhaps feeling a sense of anti-climax following the previous day’s elation, struggled to stem the tide, turning to part-timers Adam Lyth and Jack Leaning late in the session.
Compton finished 14 runs short of what would be his second century of the season, while Franklin’s unbeaten 60 matches what he scored in his last six Championship innings combined.
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This post was last modified on 10/03/2016
