da dobrowin： A fourth-wicket stand of 127 from youngsters Sam Robson and Adam London helpedstruggling Middlesex share the honours on the first day of their CountyChampionship clash with Northamptonshire
21-Apr-2010
ScorecardA fourth-wicket stand of 127 from youngsters Sam Robson and Adam London helpedstruggling Middlesex share the honours on the first day of their CountyChampionship clash with Northamptonshire.Robson and London both showed their more experienced team-mates how to do itafter the visitors, who had won the toss and chosen to bat, slipped from 72without loss to 90 for 3 at Wantage Road.England captain Andrew Strauss had earlier made 25 before he departed butRobson and London dug in and John Simpson and Gareth Berg saw Middlesex throughto the close on 281 for 5.Middlesex, who have lost their opening two games of the season, avoided losingany early wickets for the first time this term as openers Strauss and ScottNewman put on 72 runs.Their previous best had been a paltry 11 in the clash with Glamorgan last weekbut Strauss was dismissed in the 18th over when he played Andrew Hall onto hisleg stump shortly after being dropped by Jack Brooks off the bowling of LukeEvans.Newman quickly followed after making a breezy 44 when his off stump was toppledby David Lucas, the first time the former Surrey batsman had made it into doublefigures this year.Dawid Malan, who hit a century in his last innings against Glamorgan, made justa single before he was trapped lbw by Brooks to leave Middlesex wobbling on 99for 3 at lunch.Robson and London stabilised their innings after the break with a solid ifunspectacular fourth-wicket partnership, with boundaries few and far between. They survived the whole of the afternoon session, their partnership reaching 107 at tea, with only Lucas looking like taking a wicket for Northants when hetwice narrowly missed Robson’s off stump.Both players achieved patient half-centuries in the 69th over off Northantsskipper Nicky Boje, with 20-year-old Robson’s arriving from 149 balls and21-year-old London’s taking eight fewer.But Boje finally made the breakthrough when Robson (52) edged to Hall at firstslip. London (77) finally went towards the end of the day when his attempted driveoff Boje led to him being stumped by wicketkeeper Paul Harrison.That left Simpson (28 not out) and Berg (four not out) to bat out the finalfour overs, but Northants might be left to rue the 50 extras they conceded inthe day.