Robson and Finn shine against Warwickshire

robson


Middlesex 452: Robson 231
Warwickshire 146-4: Trott 62*; Murtagh 2-33, Finn 2-48
Close, day two: Warwickshire trail Middlesex by 306 runs

Sam Robson scored a career-best 231 and Steven Finn took a wicket with his first ball of the new season as Middlesex continued to enjoy the upper hand at Lord’s.

Resuming on 317-4, the hosts made a cautious start to day two under leaden skies but survived the first hour without losing a wicket.

By that stage, Robson had moved to 200 – carrying on from where he had left off on Sunday – and shortly afterwards John Simpson reached his half-century.

Simpson was caught behind for 52 and James Franklin made just three as Warwickshire checked Middlesex’s progress with two quick wickets.

But Robson continued to impress, passing his previous best of 215 and then dumping Jeetan Patel over long off to break a 69-year-old record score for a Middlesex batsman against Warwickshire.

He tried finding the same boundary the next ball and holed out to Ian Bell in the deep, leaving the hosts on 405-7.

After James Harris (12) and Tim Murtagh (1) both succumbed to the spin of Patel, Steven Finn (22 not out) hit only his fifth six in first-class cricket in a last-wicket stand of 37 with Toby Roland-Jones to take Middlesex past 450.

Warwickshire began their innings immediately after lunch and Finn found Ian Westwood’s edge with his very first ball, Nick Compton taking the catch at fourth slip.

Tim Murtagh got Ian Bell for 14 with one that kept low but the visitors recovered thanks to a stand of 77 between Varun Chopra and Jonathan Trott.

It ended with the third ball after tea as Chopra (57) was bowled by Murtagh, while Sam Hain chopped on from Finn.

Trott was left on 62 not out when the umpires called a premature halt to proceedings at a darkening Lord’s, Warwickshire still 156 short of avoiding the follow-on.