Middlesex dominant against Derbyshire: County Championship Division Two

Middlesex were in a very good position in a match of the County Championship Division Two against Derbyshire being played at the County Ground, Derby in England.

The hosts were bowled out for 154 runs in their first innings while Middlesex reached 115 for the loss of just 1 wicket until the close of first day’s play on Wednesday.

Derbyshire captain Luke Sutton elected to bat first after winning the toss, but his team was unable to score a healthy first innings total. The wicket did not have much assistance for the bowlers, but there was some seam movement with the new ball.

The home team got off to a bad start, losing their opener Wayne Madsen early. He was sent back to the pavilion after adding just 5 runs to the total. However, first-drop Usman Khawaja and opening batsman Wes Durston tried to steady the innings for their team.

The pair scored 40 runs for the second wicket, but the Derbyshire opener Durston failed to carry onto the start he got to his innings and was dismissed for 20 runs off 43 balls with the help of 3 fours. Just three balls later, Chesney Hughes was also sent back to the pavilion without troubling the scorers.

Wickets kept on tumbling for the home team, as they lost the Pakistan-born Khawaja and middle-order batsman Greg Smith in a span of just 10 runs. They got out after scoring 16 and 3 runs respectively. Daniel Redfern also followed them after adding 13 runs to the total and Derbyshire were 6 down for 81 runs at that stage.

Luke Sutton and Jonathan Clare scored 14 runs each, but were unable to capitalise on the starts they got. The top score of the innings came from tail-ender Ross Whiteley, who was dismissed after scoring 28 runs. Tony Palladino remained unbeaten on 15 as he ran out of partners from the other end.

Medium-pacer Gareth Berg was instrumental with the ball. He did not give away anything to the batsmen and took 4 wickets in the innings. Tim Murtagh was also impressive with the new ball as he dismissed 3 batsmen.

The openers of the visiting team Chris Rogers and Scott Newman gave a steady start to their team. However, Newman got out after adding 17 runs to the total, as Middlesex lost their first wicket for 30 on the board.

Dan Housego walked out in the middle and gave good support to Rogers. The pair put together an unbeaten 85 runs for the second wicket before the umpires called the day off. At close of play, Rogers and Housego were batting on 66 and 24 runs respectively.

Tim Groenewald was the lone wicket-taker for the hosts on day one. He will be looking forward to get some support from his teammates if they are to keep the Middlesex batsmen in check.

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Middlesex defeat Essex in a one-sided affair

Middlesex cruised to an eight wicket win in a match of the County Championship Division Two against Essex, at the Lord’s Cricket Ground in England. The hosts were given a target of 54 runs, which they achieved easily for the loss of just two wickets. Middlesex scored 277 and 54 for two (end of match) whereas Essex managed 115 and 215 in the match.

James Foster elected to field first after winning the toss for Essex, but his decision proved to be a wrong one. The wicket had some assistance for the bowlers, but the hosts batted well for their 277 runs in their first innings.

Middlesex’s openers, Scott Newman and Chris Rogers, got off to a very good start, scoring 65 runs for the first wicket. They got out after getting starts of 38 and 25 runs respectively. Wickets started to tumble after the openers got out and the home team was struggling at 115 for five at one stage.

However, wicket-keeper batsman, John Simpson, and middle-order batsman, Gareth Berg, batted sensibly for a 66 run partnership. They scored 32 and 34 runs respectively, but failed to carry onto the start they got to their innings.

Lower-order batsmen, Ollie Rayner and Steven Finn, did a good job for their team, scoring 32 runs each. There was no half-century scored in the Middlesex innings, but they still managed to score close to 300 in the first innings.

Reece Topley was phenomenal with the ball in his hand, as he took five wickets for the visitors.

Essex batsmen were unable to post a threat to their opponents, as only five players reached double figures. Tom Westley was the top scorer with 36 runs whereas star opener, Alastair Cook, was the second highest scorer with 19 runs.

Middlesex’s attack bowler, Tim Murtagh, gave away a few runs, but he took four wickets in the innings. The visitors had to come out to bat once again, as the home team captain, Neil Dexter, imposed the follow on.

The second innings for the visitors was better compared to their first outing, but they were not able to post a serious threat to Middlesex. Westley was yet again the leading run scorer for his team, collecting 59 runs. Apart from him, Jaik Mickleburgh looked good for his 41 runs.

The South African born, Gareth Berg, was the pick of the bowlers for his team in the second innings, claiming four wickets. Middlesex required only 54 runs for victory after some good performances by their bowlers.

Although the hosts lost two quick wickets in their run chase, opener Newman guided his team to victory with an unbeaten 38 runs off 31 balls. Dawid Malan was the other not out batsmen, scoring 12 runs.

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