Middlesex finish on top after county’s good first session
ROBBIE White struck his maiden first-class century to rescue Middlesex after Derbyshire had made an excellent start to their LV Insurance County Championship game at Lord’s.
Returning to red ball action, the county had Sam Conners back from injury and Luis Reece back after being involved in the “Hundred” tournament – and both made early inroads after Middlesex chose to bat on a cloudy morning.
The home side were reduced to 14-3, then, at 52-4, the opening bowlers had two wickets each, all leg before wicket.
But White, who had previously passed 50 six times without registering a ton, led the recovery as bad light ended play early at 218-5 – a scenario that seems likely to be repeated with the rest of the four-day season restarting at the end of August with the white ball cricket, for Derbyshire at least, out of the way.
White shared a century stand with Martin Andersson, whose 53 was his highest score of the season, while John Simpson was undefeated on 29 at the close.
Middlesex’s decision to bat looked questionable when Mark Stoneman, making his debut after moving across the river from Surrey, lasted only three balls before Conners’ inswinger trapped him in front for a duck.
Sam Robson followed later in the same over, the victim of one that stayed low, while Stephen Eskinazi had little chance against a Reece delivery that swung viciously to leave Middlesex reeling.
Despite a couple of edges that flew through the slips, White soon settled down to oversee a rebuilding job and weathered the onslaught alongside Max Holden in a partnership of 38.
Reece collected his second scalp before lunch, with Holden maybe unlucky to be given out to a ball that looked high, but Andersson announced his arrival at the crease with a series of sweetly-struck cover boundaries.
The fifth-wicket pair made good progress during the afternoon session, White leg-glancing Reece for four to bring up his halfcentury and Andersson quickly followed suit, reaching that milestone from 93 balls.
Derbyshire deployed both spinners in tandem and it was Alex
Thomson who achieved the breakthrough with his maiden first-class wicket for the county, tempting Andersson forward to nudge to Matt Critchley at slip.
However, Simpson maintained Middlesex’s momentum while White advanced steadily to his hundred, carving Conners over point for four and then taking advantage of a wide ball to punch another off-side boundary that brought him to three figures.
That proved timely for White as, with the light deteriorating, umpires Muhammad Syed and Peter Hartley took the teams off two overs later.
Connors, bowling down the slope for the first time at Lord’s, admitted he needs to learn to stay the course of the day better.
“When the clouds came over and it was a bit muggy as well, that meant perfect conditions for swing bowling,” he said.
“For me and Luis to have those conditions early on was crucial and we’d like to feel we used them well.
“Last time I played at Lord’s I bowled from the other end so I was trying to get used to the slope. I got into my spell all right and getting those two early wickets was handy.
“I just need to continue that form throughout the day, which I’ve struggled with at times.”