Eskinazi's career-best defies Yorkshire in Scarborough stalemate

Middlesex 470 for 8 (Eskinazi 157, Franklin 99) lead Yorkshire 406 (Ballance 132) by 74 runs
Scorecard

Stevie Eskinazi patiently earned Middlesex a first innings lead over Yorkshire by batting throughout most of the third day of the Specsavers County Championship match at Scarborough.

The 22-year-old South African hit a career-best 157 and although a flurry of wickets went down in the closing overs, Middlesex were still able to end on 470 for eight which put them 64 in front.

Eskinazi said: ""To score my maiden century against Lancashire last week and now to score 157 today is really pleasing after serving my apprenticeship in the second team and learning the trade.

"I nicked the four that brought me my century and the two other strokes that took me to 50 and 150 and on another day they could have gone to hand but I rode my luck a little. The pitch has been swinging and seaming all game and if we can hit a few more runs tomorrow I think we can put them under pressure."

Eskinazi's circumstances were in complete contrast to when he made his debut for Middlesex against Yorkshire at Lord's last September.

On that occasion he came in at 0 for 3 after Ryan Sidebottom had struck three times in the game's opening over and he contributed only four before becoming the left arm paceman's fourth victim.

His next appearance in the competition was not until last week when he scored his maiden century in Middlesex's victory over Lancashire at Lord's and yesterday he showed further relish for Roses opponents in his very next knock.

The early wickets which Yorkshire wanted on the third morning never materialised as Eskinazi and George Bailey built steadily on their third wicket partnership, Middlesex having resumed on 130 for 2.

Although Bailey survived a sharp return chance to Tim Bresnan on 36, the pair were in charge for most of the time and after Bailey had straight driven Azeem Rafiq over the sightscreen for six he completed his 50 from 83 balls with seven other boundaries.

The partnership moved into three figures before Eskinazi arrived at his own half-century with his eighth boundary and the day's play was 95 minutes old when Bailey was out for 62 with the stand worth 121. He aimed a cut at a ball from Rhodes which had more bounce than he expected and Bresnan took the catch at point. It was a well-merited wicket for Rhodes whose 11 over stint cost him only 36 runs.

Bresnan was again in the action after lunch as he held on to John Simpson's edge to third slip off Jack Brooks and he would have claimed a wicket himself in the next over if Eskinazi had not been dropped by Kane Williamson in the same spot while on 84.

Franklin eased himself in gradually, taking 30 balls to get off the mark, but he then went from first gear into top by picking up Rhodes for a big six.

Eskinazi also spent 30 balls marooned in the 90s before arriving at his century from 224 deliveries with 17 fours, an innings which was succeeding in blunting Yorkshire's attack.

Yorkshire experimented with the off-spin of Adam Lyth before tea but to no avail and after the interval Franklin pulled Bresnan savagely for six as he neared his first half-century of the season from 100 balls with five fours and two sixes.

Middlesex were 342 for 4 at the 110-over stage, which meant they took five bonus points out of the game to Yorkshire's four, and the fifth wicket stand went into three figures at 356 for 4.

The partnership had ploughed on to 172 before Eskinazi finally succumbed at 5.26pm by pulling Brooks to Williamson on the mid-wicket boundary, having batted for six-and-a-half hours while facing 316 balls and stroking 23 fours.

His departure brought a rash of wickets, most of them to Brooks who suddenly found himself with a five-wicket haul. He had Paul Stirling caught in the slips before Williamson dismissed Ollie Rayner without scoring, but Brooks' biggest prize was the scalp of Franklin who fell for 99, top-edging a pull to cover. He had received 167 deliveries and hit ten fours and two sixes.

Brooks finished the day with figures of five for 89 from his 33 overs, 12 of which were maidens.