- BATSMENRBM4s6sSR38.2 flinched off the hip, and into the hands of short leg! Browne throws his head back, he was on for a big one there, but that ends a fine century partnership 122/140.6 Cook's day is done! Round the wicket, pitches on off and straightens, Cook thrusts his front pad down the pitch and up goes the finger. Close to getting outside the line, but seemed fair enough. De Caires has both openers now 135/244.5 big turn! No shot from Westley, as the ball grips and leaps into his gloves, and back onto the top of middle. Suddenly this surface is threatening to rag... and after that serene morning session, Essex have some work to do 148/347.6 strangled down the leg-side! An attempted flick off the hip, but nothing more than a graze to the keeper. Middlesex's fightback gathers pace! 162/473.3 pinned on the pads and now Critchley goes too! Roland-Jones finds the right length to rap the knee-roll as Critchley presses half forward, and Essex are almost done 235/754.4 another fateful leave! Walter leant out of the crease with no footwork, expected that one to straighten past the stumps from round the wicket, but it just hopped obediently on, to hit off stump. De Caires has four! 169/572.4 swings for the fences but doesn't get enough of it! Rossington advances down the pitch, from round the wicket, taking on the long-on ropes, but Hollman judges the ball well and keeps his balance inside the rope to end a useful partnership. De Caires has his fifth after an exceptional day's work 235/688.2 De Caires is hauled back to finish what he started... and almost immediately he lures Simon Harmer into a wild hack to long-off! Down the track, aiming across the line, a steepling leading edge! 279/978.5 holes out this time! Another massive wind-up, taking on the long-on rope. Stoneman sets himself well and atones for his earlier miss. Six for de Caires, and he's on for a career best 260/898.2 looped up outside off, a flaccid waft off the back foot and Higgins picks off a simple edge to slip. De Caires cements his career-best figures of 8 for 106. A mighty effort 304/9Extras17 (b 4, lb 7, nb 6)TOTAL304 all out (98.2 Overs, RR: 3.09)Fall of wickets: 1-122 (Nick Browne, 38.2 ov), 2-135 (Alastair Cook, 40.6 ov), 3-148 (Tom Westley, 44.5 ov), 4-162 (Dan Lawrence, 47.6 ov), 5-169 (Paul Walter, 54.4 ov), 6-235 (Adam Rossington, 72.4 ov), 7-235 (Matt Critchley, 73.3 ov), 8-260 (Umesh Yadav, 78.5 ov), 9-279 (Simon Harmer, 88.2 ov), 10-304 (Sam Cook, 98.2 ov)
Bowling O M R W Econ WD NB ER Bamber 18 4 51 1 2.83 0 0 TS Roland-Jones 19 5 58 1 3.05 0 0 JM De Caires 39.2 8 106 8 2.69 0 0 RF Higgins 14 5 39 0 2.78 0 2 LBK Hollman 6 0 27 0 4.50 0 1 SD Robson 2 0 12 0 6.00 0 0
04/09Result
County Championship Division One at Chelmsford, Sep 4-6 2023
-
![Essex]( "Essex")
304 & 319/7d -
![Middlesex]( "Middlesex")
179 & 147 (58.2 ov)
04/09Result
County Championship Division One at Chelmsford, Sep 4-6 2023
-
![Essex]( "Essex")
304 & 319/7d -
![Middlesex]( "Middlesex")
179 & 147 (58.2 ov)
- BATSMENRBM4s6sSR2.1 round the wicket, a full length outside off, and flashed on the up into the covers! A touch lazy with his footwork, not quite to the pitch, and pays the price 8/16.5 splat! Off pole out of the ground as Robson plays down the wrong line, that straightened just a touch on a perfect length and thumped the outside half of the stump. This innings is going south 21/32.5 angled in from back of a length, follows the new batter into his splice, fenced low into the cordon and scooped up by Harmer at second slip! Middlesex are in all sorts of bother, and Harmer hasn't even got started in his day-job 8/27.2 pinned on the pad, another one gone! Round the wicket, full length, Davies is half forward without any conviction and that's nailed him on the shin 25/433.1 poked in the air, back down the pitch, Porter swoops in his followthrough to claim his fifth! 100/623.5 pinned on the pads from round the wicket and Porter has his fourth! Looked a touch high to the naked eye, but the finger went straight up! Maybe clipping the top of leg, as he was a long way back 59/545.2 spanks the stumps and Cook has three! Back of a length, nips a touch off the seam, Higgins is slow to get into line and that's the end of a gutsy innings 143/843.3 full length once again from round the wicket, pinned on the pads and up goes the finger again! The bowling change does the trick as a solid stand ends 138/750.4 slog-swept, high on the blade, top-edged out to deep midwicket, where Critchley jogs in and judges it well. Harmer has his overdue first wicket 168/953.5 pinned on the pads again, and that's a wrap! Up goes the finger, as Porter secures the fine figures of 6 for 34, and a 125-run lead 179/9Extras6 (lb 2, nb 4)TOTAL179 all out (53.5 Overs, RR: 3.32)Fall of wickets: 1-8 (Mark Stoneman, 2.1 ov), 2-8 (Joe Cracknell, 2.5 ov), 3-21 (Sam Robson, 6.5 ov), 4-25 (Jack Davies, 7.2 ov), 5-59 (John Simpson, 23.5 ov), 6-100 (Max Holden, 33.1 ov), 7-138 (Luke Hollman, 43.3 ov), 8-143 (Ryan Higgins, 45.2 ov), 9-168 (Toby Roland-Jones, 50.4 ov), 10-179 (Ethan Bamber, 53.5 ov)
- BATSMENRBM4s6sSR20.6 back of a length, Browne has an involuntary stab of the gloves outside the line, and snicks through to the keeper for Middlesex's first wicket 64/161.1 There'll be no century for Sir Alastair! Round the wicket from Robson, a big legbreak follows Cook as he rocks back to cut and it's just a feathered edge through to the keeper. Off he troops to a ripple of applause, with a modest wave of the bat as he goes 182/358.3 tight line from Bamber, just back of a length, Westley whips across the line and is pinned on the pads. Straight and aiming at the knee-roll, fair enough decision 178/271.3 dumps a drive straight at mid-off, and Lawrence becomes De Caires' ninth wicket of the match. Robson swallows the chance, reverse-cupped in front of his chest 239/480.2 the fun's over this time. Gives Higgins the wild swing to leg, drags his toe in the process, and Simpson whips off the bails. Sharp work 311/773.2 down on one knee, climbs into the slog-sweep, and picks out deep midwicket, set back on the rope! De Caires has his maiden ten-for! 249/577.1 reverse-sweep, connects very well but Davies at deep cover rushes round on the rope, grabs well, releases as he steps out of play, and swallows the relay very coolly. Good tekkers, and the declaration is drawing closer 283/6Extras23 (b 2, lb 19, nb 2)TOTAL319/7d (81 Overs, RR: 3.93)Fall of wickets: 1-64 (Nick Browne, 20.6 ov), 2-178 (Tom Westley, 58.3 ov), 3-182 (Alastair Cook, 61.1 ov), 4-239 (Dan Lawrence, 71.3 ov), 5-249 (Paul Walter, 73.2 ov), 6-283 (Adam Rossington, 77.1 ov), 7-311 (Matt Critchley, 80.2 ov)
Bowling O M R W Econ WD NB ER Bamber 14 4 51 1 3.64 0 0 JM De Caires 27 4 84 2 3.11 0 0 RF Higgins 6 0 32 1 5.33 0 0 TS Roland-Jones 13 3 29 1 2.23 0 0 LBK Hollman 16 2 66 0 4.12 0 0 SD Robson 5 0 36 2 7.20 0 1
- BATSMENRBM4s6sSR6.2 That's more like it! Pops and turns, and pouched with a dive at leg slip. Lawrence made excellent ground, grabbed that nearer leg fully in the end 24/117.4 another one nudged to slip and that will be tea! Hard lengths once more from Umesh, round the wicket, flinched low to Critchley at third slip who scoops up well 42/410.4 pinned on the pad, and Harmer has his second! This one bites wickedly from outside off and keeps low too. Playing back fatefully, with nowhere to go 36/213.5 Yadav bags his first Essex wicket, and now this victory push is taking shape for the hosts. Bends back in at pace, on an off-stump line, thumps the edge and deflects straight into Alastair Cook's breadbasket at first slip 41/321.5 sharp pace from over the wicket, hits a good length outside off, induces a flinch and Rossington does the rest. Yadav has the third of an excellent display 55/540.1 change of ends for Critchley, and it does the trick! Round the wicket, grips and turns back into the left-hander, pinned on the back foot and this could yet be over tonight... 97/655.4 ripper! Tossed up on middle and leg, bites as it dips and pitches, and pings the top of off. We're almost there. 143/944.3 Harmer's back into the attack, and once again a change of spinner brings the breakthrough! Pushing forward, Hollman pops a simple catch to Browne at silly mid-off. We might yet be in for an extra half-hour here 113/758.2 It's the worst ball of his spell, but Harmer won't care! His 34th five-wicket haul for Essex seals the contest with seven minutes of the day to spare. A long-hop, spanked hard at short leg, rebounds to the keeper. A redoubtable win 147/10Extras12 (b 8, nb 4)TOTAL147 all out (58.2 Overs, RR: 2.52)Fall of wickets: 1-24 (Sam Robson, 6.2 ov), 2-36 (Joe Cracknell, 10.4 ov), 3-41 (Jack Davies, 13.5 ov), 4-42 (Mark Stoneman, 17.4 ov), 5-55 (Max Holden, 21.5 ov), 6-97 (John Simpson, 40.1 ov), 7-113 (Luke Hollman, 44.3 ov), 8-115 (Joshua De Caires, 46.3 ov), 9-143 (Ryan Higgins, 55.4 ov), 10-147 (Toby Roland-Jones, 58.2 ov)
Bowling O M R W Econ WD NB JA Porter 6 2 25 0 4.16 0 2 SJ Cook 9 3 22 0 2.44 0 0 SR Harmer 24.2 11 43 5 1.76 0 0 UT Yadav 12 2 32 3 2.66 0 0 MJJ Critchley 7 1 17 2 2.42 0 0
Match Details
Toss
Essex , elected to bat first
Season
Match days
4,5,6 September 2023 (4-day match)
Umpires
Match Referee
Points
Essex 21, Middlesex 3
Close of Play
- Mon, 4 Sep - day 1 - Essex 1st innings 303/9 (SJ Cook 19*, JA Porter 9*, 96 ov)
- Tue, 5 Sep - day 2 - Essex 2nd innings 104/1 (AN Cook 44*, T Westley 17*, 37 ov)
- Wed, 6 Sep - day 3 - Middlesex 2nd innings 147 (58.2 ov) - end of match
Match Notes
- Middlesex 2nd innings
- Batting and bowling points: Essex 5, Middlesex 3
Match Coverage
All Match NewsSimon Harmer takes five as Essex march on at expense of sorry Middlesex
Yadav impresses on county debut as title challengers seal victory in closing minutes of day three
Jamie Porter hands Middlesex a repeat dose as Essex stay alive in title race
Seamer's six-for echoes opening-round rout as Cook builds on 125-run lead at Chelmsford
Josh De Caires' seven-for gives Middlesex a grip after runaway Essex start
Cook, Browne fifties drive title challengers, as Harmer awaits on spinning deck
