Roland-Jones delivers for Middlesex again

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Close, day three: Surrey 144 & 341, Middlesex 232 & 45-1

Middlesex 4pts, Surrey 3pts

Toby Roland-Jones took another five-wicket haul to keep Middlesex in the game against Surrey at The Oval.

The seamer took 6-66 in the three-day defeat to Sussex last week and struck again when he was needed – with 5-39 to end Surrey’s second innings at 341 and 253 runs ahead.

It could quite easily have been more as Rory Burns and Arun Harinath both made centuries in a seemingly unstoppable 217-run partnership.

But Middlesex were able to get back in with the bat and lost just the one wicket late on to finish the day 45-1 and needing 209 to win on day four.

Burns and Harinath successfully built on the foundations made on Thursday evening.

The pair batted their way through 58 overs and looked impenetrable in their partnership until Steven Crook finally made the breakthrough to dismiss Harinath for 109.

It was then Roland-Jones’ turn to end the other century maker’s spell and he then turned 264-3 into 278-5 with the wickets of Zander de Bruyn (23) and Rory Hamilton-Brown (2) within a further four overs.

And he wasn’t finished there, adding captain Gareth Batty after he and England reserve wicketkeeper Steven Davies nudged Surrey over the 300 mark.

Crook and Tim Murtagh rounded things off before Chris Rogers and Sam Robson made 43 together at the top order of Middlesex’s second reply.

Rogers was lost, trapped lbw by Batty, just before stumps but Middlesex have every chance of victory with nine wickets in hand.

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