Middlesex v Essex: Scores & match report

Match scores (Lord's)

Match drawn 

Middlesex 1st inns: 507-7 dec (Robson 149, Gubbins 101, Eskinazi 100, Simpson 90; Porter 2-90)

Essex 1st inns: 295 all out (Lawrence 75, Wheater 64; Finn 4-51, Roland-Jones 3-81)

Middlesex 2nd inns: 239-3 dec (Robson 77, Gubbins 64, Eskinazi 62; Harmer 3-72)

Essex 2nd inns: 160-8 (Cook 37, Bopara 32; Roland-Jones 3-42)

Day four report

Middlesex were frustrated by a combination of bad light and lower-order resistance as Essex clung on for a draw in the Specsavers County Championship at Lord's.

The champions were on course for their first win of the season when they reduced Essex, who were chasing a notional target of 452, to 130 for seven in the first over after tea.

But eighth-wicket pair Neil Wagner and Simon Harmer blunted Middlesex's attack for 15 overs and, as the light deteriorated, home skipper James Franklin was forced to employ slow bowlers at both ends.

Leg spinner Dawid Malan immediately had Harmer (20) lbw as he tried to defend off the back foot, but only two more overs were possible before umpires Ian Gould and Paul Baldwin took the players off for the third time in the day with 13 overs remaining, Essex 160 for eight and Wagner unbeaten on 16.

It was harsh on Middlesex, whose three-man seam attack, backed up by off-spinner Ollie Rayner, had chipped away all day on a wicket which hardly deteriorated, even though cloud cover did encourage the ball to swing.

Toby Roland-Jones finished with three for 42 and Steven Finn two for 39, while it was Rayner who removed former England captain Alastair Cook, caught at short leg for 37 with his third delivery of the day.

Cook had passed 20,000 first-class runs when he reached 16 and looked in the mood to repeat last week's century in Essex's win over Somerset, particularly when he drove first Tim Murtagh and then Roland-Jones back down the ground for four.

Apart from Cook, Essex's main resistance came from Ravi Bopara (32), who dug in for just over two hours before he was seventh out in the first over after tea to a ball from Finn which jagged back sharply to knock back his off stump.

Conditions were as good as they had been all day at that stage, but Harmer and Neil Wagner defied Finn and Roland-Jones for 10 overs to give them their team the chance of escape.

Franklin had the luxury of runs on the board and enjoyed the happy knack of making bowling changes which brought immediate reward.

Middlesex's slip fielding was faultless too, with Malan epitomising their catching performance when he dived to his left to remove Adam Wheater for a duck in the first over of a new spell from Roland-Jones.

Earlier, Essex had added 19 runs to their overnight 19 for 0 when Murtagh made the breakthrough, bowling Nick Browne (19) through the gate.

Cook and Tom Westley took the score to 74 when Westley (13) was lbw to a ball from Roland-Jones that kept a touch low.

Cook fell without addition to the total and after lunch Essex lost two wickets on 104 when Dan Lawrence (13) was held at slip driving at Finn before Wheater's dismissal.

Ryan ten Doeschate (one) became Roland-Jones' third victim, but rain and bad light forced the teams off for an hour after a two-over stoppage during the morning.

Bopara's dismissal on the resumption left the Essex tail with 30 overs to survive, but with a little help from the weather they were able to do so. Middlesex picked up 12 points, Essex eight.

Day three report

Stevie Eskinazi hit five of the final nine balls he faced for six as Middlesex piled the pressure on out-classed Essex at Lord's after opting not to enforce the follow-on.

Middlesex bowled the visitors out for 295, a first-innings lead of 212, but rather than put them in again, Middlesex piled on more runs.

Opening pair Sam Robson and Nick Gubbins added a quickfire partnership of 146 to their first-innings effort of 241, and Eskinazi then hit a whirlwind 62 from 34 balls, reaching his fifty while swatting three successive sixes into the grandstand off Jamie Porter.

Robson made a fluent 77 from 84 balls and Gubbins hit two sixes in a 62-ball 64 as Middlesex set their visitors a notional target for 452.

By the close of play, Essex were 19 without loss from six overs with Nick Browne on 17 and Alastair Cook on two.

Earlier, a fighting sixth-wicket stand of 127 between Dan Lawrence and Adam Wheater was the only resistance of note that Essex could offer against the county champions as Middlesex continued to dominate this Specsavers County Championship Division One match.

Wheater rode his luck to score a punchy 64, with 10 fours, while impressive 19-year-old Lawrence batted with great determination before being ninth out for 75.

In all, he stayed for four and three-quarter hours, facing 185 balls and hitting nine fours.

But after they had departed, Essex lost their last five wickets for 42 runs, and Steven Finn finished with four for 51.

But it was a luckless Toby Roland-Jones, who took three for 81, who was the pick of the Middlesex attack and he will look to lead the push for victory on the final day.

Essex began day three on 120 for four, needing another 238 runs to avoid the follow on, and were soon in deep trouble at 126 for five when Ravi Bopara, on six, edged an outswinger from Roland-Jones to Robson at third slip.

But the Lawrence-Wheater alliance then mixed some lovely strokeplay with a hefty dollop of good fortune, with Wheater surviving three sharp chances nicked off Roland-Jones in the seamer's second spell of the morning session.

Wheater escaped on 27, 33 and then 42. First he edged low to second slip where Ollie Rayner could not scoop up a difficult chance, and in Roland-Jones's second over another edge deflected off diving wicketkeeper John Simpson's right glove for four.

It did not look, though, as if it would have carried to first slip, so Simpson was right to go for the ball.

Finally, Wheater thick-edged a drive to third slip where the diving Robson got his fingers to it but could not prevent the ball flying away to the boundary.

It was off-spinner Rayner who made the breakthrough in mid-afternoon, Wheater slog-sweeping to square leg where Eskinazi showed remarkable reflexes to twist and grab the ball on the rebound after initially looking as if he had only managed to parry it.

Tim Murtagh and Finn, three times, then struck with the second new ball to remove Ryan ten Doeschate, Harmer, Lawrence and Wagner in quick succession.

Ten Doeschate (20) and Lawrence were both lbw, while Harmer (one) mishit a pull to mid-wicket.

Day two report

Essex's hopes of avoiding the follow-on at Lord's are on shaky ground as they finished day two on 120 for four in their County Championship Division One match against Middlesex.

After Middlesex declared on 507 for seven, Essex soon lost England opener Alastair Cook when he pushed forward to Toby Roland-Jones and edged to wicket-keeper John Simpson for 14.

Fellow-opener Nick Browne gave the total some respectability with a score of 41 but the visitors are still some way short of the 358 runs they need to avoid being made to bat again.

Tom Westley looked in prime form, striking six fours in his 44-ball 31, but he was then bowled by a fine delivery from Steve Finn which left the batsman slightly off the pitch to hit off stump.

Browne then fell leg before wicket to the off-spin of Ollie Rayner late in the day while, in the penultimate over, nightwatchman Jamie Porter had his off-bail removed by Roland-Jones

After a 20-minute delay because of bad light, Middlesex had resumed on 255 for one on a pitch which appeared to have gained half a yard of pace overnight.

Porter was the most lively of the Essex bowlers and he provided the breakthrough after five overs when he had Sam Robson caught behind for 149.

Robson had been beaten outside the off stump by a beautiful delivery only the ball before, and Porter then beat new batsman Dawid Malan with each of his four remaining deliveries in the over.

Malan was eventually bowled by Ravi Bopara for 14 when, short of room defending a ball that came into him, he chopped it on to his stumps to make it 305 for three.

After lunch, Adam Voges was lbw to Porter for 13 as he attempted to work the ball to leg.

Yet by now Stevie Eskinazi was well on his way to becoming the third century-maker in the Middlesex innings. He reached his fifty from 107 deliveries with a fine straight-drive off Porter, his seventh four, but he failed to score from his next 26 balls.

When Middlesex were 321 for three at lunch they appeared on course to pick up a maximum five batting points, with just 79 runs needed from 19 overs. However, they appeared to be more interested in building a big total than chasing down the fifth point and fell nine runs short after 110 overs.

Eskinazi's 199-ball innings of 100 ended when he was bowled by Westley, James Franklin was well caught in the covers by Dan Lawrence and when Simpson was stumped off the bowling of Simon Harmer for 90 Middlesex declared.

Day one report

Sam Robson and Nick Gubbins both underlined their England Test selection credentials by scoring fine hundreds and building a brilliant 241-run opening stand for Middlesex against Essex at Lord's.

Gubbins was finally removed for 101 on the stroke of tea, caught behind pushing forward to Aaron Beard, but Robson remained 144 not out with Middlesex in complete command at 255 for one when bad light brought an early finish to the day's play.

Robson, 27, who played seven Tests in 2014, looked in great touch - especially with his trademark square drives, cuts and flicks off the hip - and could come into England's selection plans again later this summer if he maintains this sort of form.

Gubbins, 23, was close to a senior England winter tour call-up after hitting 1,409 Specsavers County Championship runs at 61.26 last year but had to be content with Lions selection instead when first Haseeb Hameed and later Keaton Jennings were both chosen ahead of him.

It will also have done both players no harm that England opener and former Test captain Alastair Cook is playing in this match and watched from close quarters as they dominated the Essex attack.

Lulled into choosing an uncontested toss by a green-looking pitch, Essex were soon regretting their decision to bowl first in Middlesex's first home Division One match of the season.

The champions, who admitted they were rusty in their opening draw at Hampshire last week, were given the perfect start by Robson and Gubbins and, by the 55th over of the day, beleaguered Essex captain Ryan ten Doeschate was turning to his seventh bowler, part-time spinner Dan Lawrence, in an effort to break the partnership.

In the end, he had to wait until the 64th over. Robson's was the more fluent innings, and he reached the 18th century of his first-class career with his 19th four, a thick edge to third man off Ravi Bopara, and from only 140 balls. It was the closest he came to a false stroke throughout a highly impressive knock.

Gubbins took 192 balls to reach three figures, but towards the end of his innings he struck off-spinner Simon Harmer twice for six and there were also 13 fours in the left-hander's excellent effort.

In all, Gubbins - who drove down the ground with authority at times - faced 195 balls, while Robson hit 24 fours from 196 deliveries when bad light forced the players from the field at 4:35pm.

For Essex, Neil Wagner and Jamie Porter were the pick of the seamers but former South African Test spinner Harmer struggled on what - despite its appearance - proved to be a flat surface.