Middlesex and Sussex settle for a draw

Sussex could make no headway through the defensive batting of the Middlesex middle order which held out through the final session to get a draw in their CricInfo Championship match at Lord's.

Middlesex, having begun their second innings ten minutes before lunch, which was taken on twelve without loss, lost three wickets in a space of 21 runs during the second session of play.

An hour after the break the first wicket went down with Mark Robinson, who replaced Jason Lewry for the thirteenth over, trapping Michael Roseberry leg before for eight. The next fell five runs later on 38 with Owais Shah pushing half forward to a ball that left him slightly and Chris Adams at second slip took the catch inches from the ground.

To complete the trio of wickets that fell during that period, Andy Strauss, who had opened his account before lunch with three boundaries, hung his bat outside his off stump and once again a ball that swung away caught the outside edge on its way to first slip. From 54 for three, Middlesex moved on to 65 when tea was taken.

The solid fourth wicket stand of 81 in 34 overs between Robin Weston, who top scored in the first innings with 83 and Ben Hutton ensured that Middlesex were not going to suffer their first championship defeat of the summer. They took no chances; there was hardly a risky stroke as they waited for the right balls to hit.

They were neck and neck, for most of their stand, in the rate of scoring. After fifty overs they had 31 runs apiece with the total 125.

Finally, with a draw becoming inevitable, Richard Montgomerie was given the last over to bowl for a light-hearted finish and his first ball trapped Weston, 34, leg before wicket, ending a two-and-a-half-hour stay at the crease during which he received 106 balls.

Hutton, having faced 120 balls, remained not out with 36, in two hours, and with Middlesex on 135 for four, the captains decided to call an end at 5.30pm.

Earlier, Middlesex bowlers, who struggled for wickets, claiming just one in almost the entire third day's play, were more successful today. They dismissed five Sussex batsmen in a little over an hour-and-a-half, despite the absence of Phil Tufnell who has a hamstring strain.

The unbroken overnight stand of 109 between Montgomerie and Bastiaan Zuiderent did not progress much further. In the sixth over of the morning, after Zuiderent had added six to his fifty, Angus Fraser claimed the first of his two wickets with Jamie Hewitt diving forward at mid-on to take a low catch.

Montgomerie, meanwhile, reached his fourth first-class century of the season and on 116, looking for quick runs, he swung at a Paul Weekes' ball and failed to connect. He had hit twelve boundaries in his 271-ball innings. Sussex were 262 for three.

Adams' reverse sweep at Weekes didn't work as the ball popped up into the hands of Shah at slip. Fraser got his second wicket when Umer Rashid's firm pull was knocked upwards by Weston at mid-wicket and held at second attempt. The fourth and fifth wickets had gone quickly on 285 and 292 respectively.

Four runs after Matthew Prior was run out on 311, the declaration came, setting Middlesex 313 to win in a minimum of seventy overs. But on a slow wicket and in overcast conditions which assisted ball movement, as seen later, this was a far from easy task for the home side.