Northamptonshire earn hard-fought victory

Northamptonshire 581 for 7 dec and 53 for 1 beat Middlesex 347 and 285 by 9 wickets
Scorecard

Northamptonshire moved up to third place in Division Two of the County Championship with a nine-wicket victory over Middlesex on the final day at Lord's.

After the home side were bowled out for 285 in their second innings, Northamptonshire scored the 52 runs they needed to win with more than 12 overs to spare. Andrew Hall, the Northamptonshire captain, took bowling figures of 4 for 44 and Lee Daggett 3 for 49, while Nicky Boje claimed the key wicket when he had Owais Shah well caught by Daggett at long-off for 77.

Middlesex had resumed at 48 for one, still needing 186 to make Northamptonshire bat again, and there were no immediate alarms as Sam Robson and Shah took their second-wicket partnership to 75 in 24 overs. Robson was then well caught at second slip by Stephen Peters off Daggett after hitting seven fours in his 42 but Shah found an even more positive partner in Dawid Malan.

They had put on 63 in 14 overs, with Malan making 44 runs from 43 balls with nine fours before he lost his middle stump when driving at Hall. Shah was batting well, but when he and Neil Dexter had added another 54 he tried to hoist Boje back over his head and Daggett circled round to take the catch above his head.

Shah had scored 77 from 163 balls with 10 fours, but it was not enough for Middlesex who lost their fifth wicket when Dexter tried to sweep Boje from outside off stump and top-edged a catch to wicketkeeper David Murphy.

Hall then struck twice in the space of four overs, having Gareth Berg caught at second slip as he tried to drive and trapping Shaun Udal leg before. John Simpson made sure that Northamptonshire would have to bat again by on-driving Hall sweetly for four and went on to make 32 before he got a good ball from Daggett and edged to slip.

There was more dogged resistance from Tim Murtagh before he was lbw to Daggett, and from Danny Evans who was left unbeaten on 19 when Pedro Collins slashed at Hall and was caught at slip.

There were still 20 overs remaining when Northamptonshire went in again and although Stephen Peters, who made 199 in the first innings, was leg before to Collins in the second over, Rob White soon put the issue beyond doubt by hitting 31 off 23 balls with a six and four fours. Northamptonshire took 23 points to Middlesex's four.