17-09-2019, 21:04
Specsavers County Championship Division Two, Emirates Old Trafford (day two):
Lancashire 259: Livingston 84, Croft 55* & 14-1
Middlesex 337: Simpson 167*, Sowter 52; Bailey 5-78, Parkinson 3-49
Lancashire (5 pts) trail Middlesex (6 pts) by 64 with nine wickets standing
Scorecard
Middlesex wicketkeeper John Simpson hit a superb unbeaten 167 to earn them an unlikely first-innings lead against new Division Two champions Lancashire.
After starting day two on 39-6, the visitors eventually totalled 337 all out, 78 runs in front.
Simpson shared stands of 107, 76 and 94 with James Harris (32), Toby Roland-Jones (32) and Nathan Sowter (52).
He struck a six and 26 fours in a career-best score, with Lancashire 14-1 in their second innings at the close.
Pick your county team of the 2019 season
Middlesex's total was the highest in any first-class game by a side after losing their first six wickets for fewer than 40, beating Northamptonshire's 308 against Surrey in 1947, having been 39-6.
Lancashire failed to take a wicket in the morning session as Simpson and Harris added 98 to the score, but the latter was eventually bowled by a perfect leg-break from Matt Parkinson which turned and clipped off stump.
Simpson reached his hundred off 154 balls with an emphatic pull for four off Tom Bailey and Roland-Jones hit four successive boundaries in an over from Saqib Mahmood before pulling a ball from Parkinson to deep mid-wicket.
Sowter batted well for the second fifty of his career before he was caught at first slip off Mahmood and Lancashire were left to face eight overs after last man Ethan Bamber fell to Parkinson (3-49).
Alex Davies went for a duck when he needlessly swung Miguel Cummins to backward square leg, but Keaton Jennings and nightwatchman Mahmood survived to stumps.
Lancashire 259: Livingston 84, Croft 55* & 14-1
Middlesex 337: Simpson 167*, Sowter 52; Bailey 5-78, Parkinson 3-49
Lancashire (5 pts) trail Middlesex (6 pts) by 64 with nine wickets standing
Scorecard
Middlesex wicketkeeper John Simpson hit a superb unbeaten 167 to earn them an unlikely first-innings lead against new Division Two champions Lancashire.
After starting day two on 39-6, the visitors eventually totalled 337 all out, 78 runs in front.
Simpson shared stands of 107, 76 and 94 with James Harris (32), Toby Roland-Jones (32) and Nathan Sowter (52).
He struck a six and 26 fours in a career-best score, with Lancashire 14-1 in their second innings at the close.
Pick your county team of the 2019 season
Middlesex's total was the highest in any first-class game by a side after losing their first six wickets for fewer than 40, beating Northamptonshire's 308 against Surrey in 1947, having been 39-6.
Lancashire failed to take a wicket in the morning session as Simpson and Harris added 98 to the score, but the latter was eventually bowled by a perfect leg-break from Matt Parkinson which turned and clipped off stump.
Simpson reached his hundred off 154 balls with an emphatic pull for four off Tom Bailey and Roland-Jones hit four successive boundaries in an over from Saqib Mahmood before pulling a ball from Parkinson to deep mid-wicket.
Sowter batted well for the second fifty of his career before he was caught at first slip off Mahmood and Lancashire were left to face eight overs after last man Ethan Bamber fell to Parkinson (3-49).
Alex Davies went for a duck when he needlessly swung Miguel Cummins to backward square leg, but Keaton Jennings and nightwatchman Mahmood survived to stumps.
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