Middlesex settle for draw with Somerset
Middlesex 338 & 315-5 dec drew with Somerset 264-9 dec & 203-4
Middlesex’s hopes of victory at Uxbridge were dashed by another dogged batting display by England hopeful Nick Compton.
Nick Gubbins hit 95, Eoin Morgan made 62 and Paul Stirling blasted a quickfire 60 to help Middlesex declare late in the morning on 315-5.
That set Somerset an unlikely target of 390 and left 72 overs for the hosts to bowl them out.
Toby Roland-Jones struck in successive overs to leave the visitors wobbling on 61-3 but Compton (83 not out) and Hildreth (60) settled the ship and a draw was agreed with 16 overs remaining.
Both sides were nervous of losing the match, knowing that defeat could leave them looking over their shoulder at the relegation zone in a very tight Division One table.
Middlesex wanted to score quickly and added 146 to their overnight score in only 22 overs.
Morgan was first to go when he holed out at long-on for 62 and Middlesex promoted one-day specialist Stirling up the order to keep the tempo up.
Gubbins continued to demonstrate his quality and looked on course to reach his maiden first-class hundred when he was run out for 95.
Stirling needed just 45 balls to make 60 and he and John Simpson (29 not out) put on 49 in seven overs.
When Tim Murtagh removed Marcus Trescothick in the seventh over, Middlesex’s hopes of victory were given a lift.
Chris Jones and Compton kept the home side’s attack at bay with a partnership of 49.
However, Roland-Jones had both Jones and Alviro Petersen caught at slip in quick succession to have the home side dreaming once more.
But Compton and Hildreth prevented a middle-order collapse and after tea briefly had an attacking flurry of their own.
Hildreth departed for 60, which came from just 68 balls, but Compton remained resolute and the two sides shook hands with the result inevitable.
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