SECOND XI MATCH REPORT: Lancashire struggle after following-on
Four wickets each for Middlesex duo Naavya Sharma and Josh de Caires put the visitors firmly in charge after two days of this Second Eleven Championship match with Lancashire 22 without loss in their second innings and trailing by 316 runs having been made to follow-on after being bowled out for 171 earlier.
Resuming their first innings on 442 for seven, Middlesex added 67 runs in 14.5 overs in the morning with both Caleb Falconer and Thilan Walallawita reaching deserved centuries off 158 and 107 balls respectively. For 17-yerar-old Falconer it was his maiden Second XI Championship century in just his second match, but the first wicket of the day to fall was that of the more experienced Walallawita who was caught behind from an inside edge onto his pad off Arav Shetty for 106.
Both Falconer, for 130, and last man Ishaan Kaushal fell in identical fashion to consecutive deliveries from Dom Hayes after chasing wide deliveries but edging to wicketkeeper Joe Moores with Middlesex 509 all out.
Harry Singh and Sav Perera negotiated 11 overs to reach lunch safely on 29 without loss but the afternoon was one of Red Rose wickets tumbling as the visitors took charge.
Sharma (four for 30) did most of the damage with four wickets after the break, starting with a five-ball sequence that saw Singh edge behind for 13 followed two overs later by Sam Perry caught at second slip for 0 and then Shetty trapped lbw by a ball that cut back sharply.
Sharma next tempted Cian Dickinson into a drive that was edged to second slip for 15 while Falconer’s good day continued when he bowled Sav Perera through the gate for 29 with a delivery that nipped back before he had left hander Ollie Sutton caught at gully for 1 to leave Lancashire in deep trouble on 70 for six.
Debutant Zak Perrin and Joe Moores fought back with a 42-run partnership to reach tea but Perren went straight after the break, edging Josh de Caires to first slip for 14, the first of four wickets for the leg spinner.
Corey Flintoff straight drove de Caires for six but then gave the bowler a return catch having made 15, Moores – who made a determined 43 that included a pulled six off Sharma – sliced de Caires (four for 44) to extra cover and Hayes edged to second slip leaving Muhammad Bilal unbeaten on 23 and Lancashire facing a massive first innings deficit of 338.
Singh (13 not out) and Perera (8 not out) knocked 22 runs of that figure in the remaining nine overs of the day.
TEAMS
LANCASHIRE
Harry Singh (capt), Sav Perera, Sam Perry, Arav Shetty, Cian Dickinson, Zak Perrin, Ollie Sutton, Joe Moores (wkt), Corey Flintoff, Dom Hayes, Louis Backhouse, Muhammad Bilal.
MIDDLESEX
Rob White (wkt), Josh de Caires, Steve Eskinazi, Joseph Cracknell (capt), James Isbell, Caleb Falconer, Blake Cullen, Jack Nelson, Ishaan Kaushal, Thilan Walallawita, Eddie Campion, Naavya Sharma.