Robson breaks records in Middlesex draw

Middlesex batsman Sam Robson in action.


Middlesex 452 & 304-6 dec: Robson 106, Malan 34*; Barker 2-27
Warwickshire 468
Middlesex (7 pts) drew with Warwickshire (6 pts)

Sam Robson added 106 to his first innings 231 as the last day of Middlesex’s County Championship opener drifted predictably to a high-scoring draw.

The match will still stay long in the memory for Robson, who broke a number of his county’s records.

Soon after lunch, the 26-year-old reached 89 to surpass the number of first-class runs made in a match at Lord’s by a Middlesex batsman, the 319 set in 1893 by Andrew Stoddart.

Then, by completing his hundred, Robson equalled the match aggregate record by a Middlesex batsman in any first-class game, which was the 331 not out scored by Jack Robertson against Worcestershire at New Road in 1949.

When he was eventually stumped advancing to Jeetan Patel’s off spin, Robson had pushed his side’s new record match aggregate mark up to 337 runs. He also became the first Middlesex batsman to score a double-hundred and a hundred in the same first-class match.

Robson added 71 for the third wicket with Nick Compton, who was lbw to Rikki Clarke for 44 in the morning session, and then 105 for the fourth wicket with Adam Voges, who went on to make 92 and take advantage of some gentle late afternoon batting practice as all 11 Warwickshire players had a bowl.

Voges, however, fell to the penultimate ball of the match, skying Tim Ambrose to deep mid wicket for the former England wicket-keeper’s maiden first-class wicket.