Middlesex in commanding position against Kent after day two
Rothesay County Championship Division Two, Spitfire Ground, Canterbury (day two)
Middlesex 222 & 222-6: Eskinazi 57, Geddes 73*
Kent 218: Stewart 56, Finch 52; Cullen 4-60
Kent 3 pts, Middlesex 5 pts
Middlesex batted themselves into a commanding position at the end of day two of their Rothesay County Championship match with Kent at Canterbury, reaching 222 for six at stumps, a lead of 226.
Stephen Eskinazi gave them a platform with 57 before Ben Geddes (pictured) cashed in after being dropped twice to make 73 not out.
Earlier, Kent were all out for 218, handing the visitors a four-run first-innings lead. Grant Stewart made 56 and Harry Finch 52 but their 101-run partnership was broken in the second over of the morning session. Blake Cullen had Middlesex’s best figures with four for 60, while Ryan Higgins took three for 37.
Kent were still 50 in arrears at the start of Day 2 but after passing 50 in the first over he swished Ryan Higgins to Zafar at midwicket, ending a partnership of 101.
Finch punched Roland-Jones through the covers to bring up his 50 but Higgins pinned him lbw in the next over.
Jas Singh and Kashif Ali almost got Kent to parity, until an eventful 83rd over. Kashif was on 16 when he hooked Cullen, but Brookes reacted a split second too slowly and the chance went down. However, he was run out off the very next delivery, when Singh drove Cullen through the covers and Zafar Gohar’s throw allowed Cullen to break the with
Kashif a centimetre from making his ground. Cullen then bowled Singh middle stump to give Middlesex a slender advantage.
Nathan Fernandes’ run of single-figure scores this continued when Nathan Gilchrist had him lbw for one in the fourth over.
Max Holden, lucky to get off the mark with a tailender’s swipe at Stewart, nicked Gilchrist to Daniel Bell-Drummond at third slip for five in the next over, but Eskinazi and Leus du Plooy steered them to 33 for two at lunch and looked well set for an hour after the resumption until the latter edged Stewart to Jack Leaning for 26, breaking a 56-run partnership.
Joey Evison struck with his second ball, bowling Higgins off stump for 15 and Ben Geddes nearly went in the same over but Tawanda Muyeye couldn’t cling on at first slip.
Eskinazi clipped Evison for a single to reach 50 but was lbw to Singh in the 42nd over and there was further encouragement for Kent members, during an otherwise interminable afternoon session, when Michael Cohen came on as a sub fielder after missing the entire 2024 season with a back injury.
Middlesex, however, were 147 for five when tea was finally taken at 4.23 pm and the game began to drift away from the hosts, with Gilchrist unable to take a return catch off Geddes, who subsequently straight-drove Evison for four to reach his 50.
Jack Davies joined him in making batting look easy on a track that had looked treacherous on day one until Leaning got him for 27, caught by Bell-Drummond at first. Cullen then came in for three deliveries before the players came off for bad light.
