The final day of Middlesex vs Sussex at Lord's, with Sussex 34-1 in their 2nd innings, still needing another 174 to avoid an innings defeat.
Steve Finn opened from the Pavilion End with a hostile spell, Chris Nash inside edging a four, only to be bowled next ball, 58-2. Murray Goodwin has failed so far this year to score many runs, and he promptly poked Finn to Ollie Rayner at slip for 5. Joe Gatting and Mike Yardy then saw off Finn and Tim Murtagh, but Gareth Berg struck almost immediately, Gatting LBW for 18. Luke Wright now joined captain Yardy in having to bat until almost tea to try and save the game, Toby Roland-Jones having a strong LBW shout turned down against Yardy. The pair brought up the 100, only for a couple of dumb shots cost them any chance they still had in the game. First, Wright (13) went for a booming drive through the covers, only for the edge to fly to a diving Finn at gully. Then, 4 balls later, Yardy pulled a short ball from Roland-Jones straight to Eoin Morgan at deep square leg for 10, one of the two men placed there for the obvious ploy. That moment of madness left Sussex 101-6, with Ben Brown and Naved Arif seeing out the time until lunch, 102-6.
After lunch there was a seven over period before Sussex scored a run and when the did Arif edged a cut to Morgan at gully who spilt a relatively easy catch. The pair had their moments of luck, Arif even headed a Berg bouncer, but wickets weren't forthcoming as Brown played some good strokes as he had in the 1st innings and showed that there really was nothing wrong with the pitch. The fifty partnership then came up as the batsmen started to get more expansive, Brown thumping a cover drive off Rayner.
Arif finally fished at an outswinger from Berg and was well caught low down by Dawid Malan diving at first slip on 15, 164-7 after adding 63 in 25 overs. Sussex had tended to lose wickets in batches, and after another booming cover drive off Rayner to go to 50 from 83 balls, his 2nd of the game, Chris Rogers moved himself to a very short cover so Brown attempted a reverse sweep next ball, only for it to bounce off his glove to Berg at slip to fall for 53, 170-8 now. The return of Finn couldn't get another before tea with Sussex 191-8, 17 behind, James Anyon and Steve Magoffin surviving.
After tea, Rogers made the smart move of replacing Rayner with Malan at the nursery end, and the batsmen couldn't resist going for a hit against his leg-breaks. Magoffin having one keep low and miss his leg stump. Anyon edged Finn for four, before hitting four more to level the scores in the match. Magoffin then swung Malan for a colossal six flat into the back row of the Mound Stand. Four more to the Grand Stand boundary and an upper cut off Finn and soon the pair had added 50 in 12 overs. Magoffin then went for one hit too many, skying to Roland-Jones at deep mid-on to fall for 37 off 54, 223-9. Monty Panesar (0) then went for a Viv Richards-esque swing over midwicket, only to find Finn and give Malan his 2nd (2-19) as Sussex finished 225 all out, Anyon 13*, Finn 3-66, Berg 3-53, Rayner 1-12 with Middlesex needing 18 to win off 29 overs.
Gatting and Nash opened the bowling as Sam Robson and Rogers made light work of the of the win, Robson (10) driving Nash for four to win by 10 wickets at 4:40 their 3rd win of the year, shoring up 4th place in the table for now.
