Ryan’s mighty knock leads towards draw

MIDDLESEX all-rounder Ryan Higgins recorded his highest firstclass score of 221 as his side’s Vitality County Championship opener against Glamorgan at Lord’s drifted to an inevitable draw.

Higgins’ epic effort, which contained 21 fours and two sixes, was his first double hundred and featured a ninth-wicket partnership of 114 with Tom Helm, who also posted a career-best 64.

Middlesex’s total of 655 was the second largest in their history, with Glamorgan off-spinner Kiran Carlson taking 3-147 while Craig Miles and Colin Ingram claimed two wickets apiece.

But a share of the spoils had always seemed virtually guaranteed on a batting-friendly pitch where only 15 wickets fell in the course of four days and Glamorgan reached 31-2 in their second innings before the captains shook hands.

With Middlesex requiring just 11 at the start of play to take the follow-on out of the equation, a positive result looked an improbable long shot and the visitors duly opened proceedings with gentle spin from both ends.

Ingram collected a wicket in the seventh over of the day, taking a routine return catch to dismiss Josh de Caires for 20, while Toby Roland-Jones posted an identical score before he was caught behind swishing at Jamie McIlroy.

That was at least some reward for the Glamorgan left-armer, who bowled consistently on a surface that gave no assistance to any of the frontline seamers, mediumpacers or spinners shuffled around by visiting captain Sam

Northeast.

Meanwhile, Higgins advanced beyond 150 by steering Mir Hamza for an all-run four to third man and the only remaining question was whether the home tail could supply their team-mate with enough support to give him a crack at a double century.

Henry Brookes departed shortly before lunch, chipping Miles into the hands of mid-wicket, but Helm stuck around and unfurled some eye-catching strokes, including a straight-driven boundary off Zain ul Hassan.

Helm also pumped Ingram over mid-on for six en-route to his fourth first-class half-century and the same bowler was on the receiving end again as Higgins reached 200 from 350 balls, steering him off the back foot to the mid-wicket boundary.

That landmark prompted the pair to throw the bat and Higgins thrashed another six to raise the century partnership before Carlson finally ended his lengthy stay at the crease, tempting the double centurion out of his ground for Chris Cooke to take off the bails.

Helm became the keeper’s third victim, snapped up off a bottom edge to end an innings that had lasted 211 overs and two balls on the stroke of tea.

There was still time after the interval for the luckless ul Hassan – caught behind cheaply off Ethan Bamber in the first half-hour of the game – to be dismissed in identical fashion for just two second time around.

Leus du Plooy claimed his first wicket for Middlesex in the final over of the game, having Billy Root caught at slip.