Middlesex hoping rain will rescue them

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Close, day three: Middlesex 330 & 90-2 trail Durham 568-9d by 148 runs

Middlesex produced a gutsy batting display on the third day at Chester-le-Street but they will have to rely on the rain saving them from defeat.

Joe Denly (59) and John Simpson (44) shared a century stand while Paul Stirling (55), Toby Roland-Jones (63) and Tim Murtagh (42) all defied the Durham bowlers.

Middlesex were bowled out for 330, 88 runs short of avoiding the follow-on, and Chris Rogers and Dawid Malan were both sent packing before the close.

Sam Robson and nightwatchman Ravi Patel helped the visitors reach stumps on 90-2, still needing another 148 to make Durham bat again – but they may yet escape with a draw given the dire weather forecast, with showers due throughout the final day.

If they are required to bat on, however, they will be buoyed by the performance of the middle and lower order on Tuesday.

Resuming on 69-4, a mammoth 499 runs behind, Denly and Simpson survived a tricky first hour to extend their partnership beyond 100.

Their resilience was ended when Simpson was bowled by England all-rounder Ben Stokes and Denly fell just before lunch to leave Middlesex on 177-6.

Not for the first time this season, the tail wagged to great effect. Stirling, more used to batting up the order in one-day cricket, put on 87 with Roland-Jones to ensure batting bonus points and frustrate the Durham attack.

Irishman Stirling eventually fell to Steve Borthwick’s leg spin while Roland-Jones went to his second consecutive Championship half century as he added 66 with the aggressive Murtagh.

Roland-Jones was bowled by Mark Wood for 63, a new career-best score, and Durham mopped up the final two wickets shortly after tea.

Predictably, they put Middlesex back into bat and were immediately celebrating the crucial wicket of skipper Rogers, who matched his first innings score of one when he was trapped lbw in the third over.

Robson (42 not out) and Malan (33) staged a recovery before the latter fell six overs before the end.

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