CricInfo Home
News Home

NEWS FOCUS
Rsa in Pak
NZ in India
Zim in Aus

Domestic
Other Series

Day 1: Law first to 1,000 mark after Middlesex collapse

Neil Hallam

Essex (166-3) lead Middlesex (113) by 53 runs

There is a crucial knack in finding as your overseas player somebody able to dominate in county cricket but not in favour at international level.

Stuart Law, who yesterday became the first batsman to 1,000 first-class runs this season, all in the championship, amply fulfils the first criterion and the fact that he is not among the six Australians required to quit their counties for patriotic service next month does much for Essex's hopes of staying above the cut for the championship's first division next summer.

Law's returns dipped last season after prolific form in his first two campaigns but, with five centuries and four fifties, he is back to his most acquisitive and proved as much in a third-wicket stand of 120 in 38 overs with Nasser Hussain which pointed Essex towards a commanding advantage.

Paul Prichard was lbw with bat aloft and Paul Grayson was claimed down the leg side but Law and Hussain, unbeaten on 71, played straight and waited for the loose stuff to ensure that Essex did not, like Middlesex, allow a bad start to signal a collapse.

Law reached the 1,000 mark at 28 when he cut seamer Tim Bloomfield for four and he was seeking an eighth boundary when he fell on the sweep, his 58 coming off 103 balls.

Middlesex, who won the toss, capsized in under 40 overs on a pitch which offered some movement for bowlers who kept the ball up but in no way excused so many ill-judged strokes. Mark Ilott went to hospital with suspected cartilage damage after finding edges to remove Andrew Strauss and Justin Langer. But medium-pacer Ricky Anderson made light of this early loss by claiming a career-best five for 36.

Ben Hutton, grandson of Sir Leonard, showed the required 'stickability' on his championship debut until he shouldered arms to one which nipped back and, of the rest, only Mark Ramprakash and Phil Tufnell (yes, really) adhered for long. Ramprakash survived doggedly for 53 balls before a modicum of movement off the pitch defeated his forward defensive push to let Anderson get at the middle order. Tufnell lasted 29 balls until his umpteenth attempt to carve through the off ended with his stumps in disarray.

Day 2: Hussain makes Middlesex suffer

Neil Hallam

Middlesex (113 & 45-1) trail Essex (429) by 271 runs

If something works well once, why change the plot? Essex beat Glamorgan by an innings and 137 runs in their last game after scoring more than 400 to amass an intimidating lead and they were on course for something similar after grinding out 429 in more than nine hours to leave Middlesex 316 in arrears.

Certainly Middlesex, who lost Ben Hutton to a catch at second slip in the 14 overs remaining, will have to produce greater application in their second innings if Essex's script is to be rewritten with a different ending.

Any suggestion that the pitch could be blamed for Middlesex's flimsy batting was completely refuted by Essex as Nasser Hussain and Ronnie Irani took their unspectacular third-wicket stand to 66.

Hussain had a six and eight fours in almost five hours when he played on attempting to steer to third man.

Stephen Peters fell working to leg and Irani's vigil, which produced 70 in almost four hours, ended with edge on the back foot but if Middlesex thought they had broken Essex's grip they were soon disabused.

Barry Hyam and Ashley Cowan took root as Phil Tufnell and Paul Weekes struggled to eke out some occasional slow turns.

Hyam was bowled off a pad as he worked to leg and Anderson was pinned in front next ball but Cowan, whose unbeaten 52 off 87 balls contained a six and five fours, found a stubborn new ally in Peter Such as Essex rubbed in their superiority.

Day 3: Middlesex show lack of fight

Neil Hallam

Essex (429) bt Middlesex (113 & 140) by an innings and 176 runs

Essex and Middlesex, who finished in the bottom two positions last season, have made such improvements that both have already achieved double the number of wins they managed last summer and are well placed to claim membership of the first division of a two-tier championship in 2000.

In Middlesex's case, however, it was difficult to work out how they had managed this upturn as another slipshod and acquiescent batting display condemned them to this heavy defeat.

From the moment Essex lost the toss, they never looked like coming second best in anything else and they had more than four sessions to spare when spinners Peter Such and Paul Grayson polished off an innings lacking in judgment and competitive fibre.

Middlesex, 271 in arrears when they resumed at 45 for one, needed an innings of prolonged bloodymindedness but the two likeliest sources went early when Justin Langer pushed down the wrong line and Mark Ramprakash was pinned on the back foot.

Andy Strauss settled in for almost 2.5 hours before getting an inside edge but a spineless procession followed in which the last six wickets tumbled for 22 runs.

``We didn't get enough runs on a goodish pitch,'' said Mike Gatting, Middlesex's director of cricket.

With Langer required by Australia next month and Ramprakash set to miss as many championship games as he plays for the rest of the season, Middlesex can ill afford to perform as feebly again.

Essex, with three wins in four games, keep their Australian, Stuart Law, for the duration but will not have seamer Mark Ilott for at least a month following surgery next week on a suspected cartilage problem.