Rearguard saves Middlesex from the drop
Middlesex 214 & 341-8 drew with Lancashire 302-8 dec
Lancashire 11 pts, Middlesex 8 pts
A stoic batting display ensured Middlesex will be playing Division One cricket again next season as they secured a draw that sent down Lancashire instead.
Nerves were frayed when Eoin Morgan (45) and Neil Dexter (17) fell either side of a rain break and an early lunch, Middlesex leading by 134 with only four wickets in hand.
But the lower order again came to Middlesex’s aid as Toby Roland-Jones hit 34 before James Harris (41 not out) and Tim Murtagh (29 not out) defied the Lancashire bowlers.
They put on an unbeaten 64 as time ran out for a result to be forced by either side, and the two sides shook hands to confirm the home side’s relegation.
Middlesex resumed on 202-4, 114 runs ahead, and knew they would need to bat as long into Friday’s final day as possible to avoid the defeat that would send them down.
But Morgan could only add four to his overnight score before he was trapped lbw by Junaid Khan.
A burst of rain followed almost immediately but Lancashire received a further boost when Junaid bowled Dexter, the last of the specialist batsmen.
However, Roland-Jones, who averages 36 across his last five innings, again looked in great form with the bat, hitting 34 from 58 deliveries as Middlesex doggedly kept Lancashire at bay.
At the other end, John Simpson batted out 49 balls for his seven but then pulled spinner Simon Kerrigan to midwicket, leaving his side 174 ahead with seven wickets down.
Roland-Jones eventually fell lbw to Glen Chapple but Harris and Tim Murtagh survived until tea, taking the lead to 204 with 37 overs remaining.
The ninth-wicket pair then continued to repel the Lancashire attack, eating up 27 valuable overs, scoring eight boundaries between them and ensuring Lord’s will be a top-flight venue once more.
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26/09/2014 @ 11:35 pm
Credit where it is due and Middle saw this one out with great determination. The lower order batsmen came to the rescue again.So go away boys, have a few beers and celebrate – and then, together with the management, have a long hard reflection on what was nearly a disastrous season after such early promise. Middle just managed to step off the slippery slope that they put themselves on a couple of months ago. Let’s hope that they learn from this and come back stronger next season.
Up the Middle !