<
>

Sam Robson piles on career-best 253 as Middlesex tick off the records against Sussex

Sam Robson pressed on from the first day Getty Images

Sussex 103 for 0 (Haines 73*, Orr 17*) trail Middlesex 676 for 5 dec (Robson 253, Stoneman 174, White 110*, Andersson 88) by 573 runs

Sam Robson scored a career-best 253 and Robbie White his second successive century as Middlesex piled up the highest total in their history.

White was unbeaten on 110 when Middlesex declared on 676 for 5 on day two of their LV = Insurance County Championship match at Hove.

It was the sixth-biggest total Sussex have conceded in their history and highest for 21 years, but openers Tom Haines and Ali Orr enjoyed benign conditions too, taking their side to 103 without loss at stumps.

Haines passed fifty for the seventh time this season and at stumps he was unbeaten on 73, which included 11 fours, with Orr 17 not out.

Much of the day had been spent ticking off records as Middlesex, who had resumed on 400 for 2, batted Sussex out of the game.

Sussex's bowlers stuck manfully to their task, but the pitch has offered little assistance and the three wickets they did take came from misjudgements by the batters.

Robson moved to his double-hundred in the sixth over of the day with a boundary off Henry Crocombe and then accelerated, with his next 50 runs coming off 55 balls and taking him past his previous best of 231 against Warwickshire in 2013. It was a mild surprise when he tried to hit off-spinner Jack Carson through mid-wicket and gave Tom Haines, running across from mid-off, a catch. Robson had faced 356 balls and hit one six and 30 fours.

Carson picked up a second wicket before lunch when Max Holden was taken at bat-pad for one but White and Martin Andersson sentenced Sussex to more suffering in the baking heat during the afternoon, as they added 174 for the fifth wicket.

They went past Middlesex's previous highest score of 642 for 3 against Hampshire at Southampton in 1923 and just before tea White, who made his maiden century against Derbyshire at Lord's last week, took a boundary off Haines to reach his 100.

Andersson had played more fluently and looked on course for a century of his own but on 88 he tried to hit Delray Rawlins over the top and couldn't clear long on. That was four balls before tea, but Middlesex opted to finish the over after the interval before Orr and Haines could run off to put their pads on after 161 overs in the field. White's runs came from 193 deliveries with six fours.

Sussex 3rd innings Partnerships

WktRunsPlayers
1st58TJ HainesAGH Orr
2nd16BC BrownTJ Haines
3rd5TJ HainesSF Hunt
4th29GHS GartonTJ Haines
5th34TJ HainesD Ibrahim
6th81FJ Hudson-PrenticeTJ Haines
7th22FJ Hudson-PrenticeOJ Carter
8th33DMW RawlinsOJ Carter
9th12JJ CarsonOJ Carter
10th13HT CrocombeOJ Carter

County Championship

Division 1
TeamMWLDPT
NOTTS431068
LANCS421157
WARKS421156
HANTS421153
YORKS412140
SOM404014
Division 2
TeamMWLDPT
ESSEX430177
GLOUC431064
DURH311140
NHNTS412138
SUR301227
GLAM403123
Division 3
TeamMWLDPT
KENT440083
MIDDX431067
WORCS422049
LEICS412143
DERBS412142
SUSS404018
Group 1
TeamMWLDPT
NOTTS10424151
WARKS10415145
DURH10325132
ESSEX10325129
WORCS10136109
DERBS1005572
Group 2
TeamMWLDPT
SOM10415148
HANTS10424145
GLOUC10532131
SUR10226123
LEICS10244111
MIDDX1027184
Group 3
TeamMWLDPT
LANCS10415150
YORKS10514149
GLAM10226127
NHNTS10334123
KENT1003797
SUSS1015494