Robson hits 162 as Middlesex draw with Northants

Rothesay County Championship, Division Two, County Ground, Northampton (day four)

Middlesex 341 & 353-3: Robson 162, Holden 86, Du Plooy 66*; Procter 1-49

Northamptonshire 409: Sales 164, McSweeney 107; Roland-Jones 3-83, Sharma 3-92

Northamptonshire (15 pts) draw with Middlesex (13 pts)

Match scorecard

Sam Robson hit a determined 162, his first century of the season, as Middlesex drew with Northamptonshire on the final day of their County Championship match at Wantage Road.

Robson batted for over six hours, showing great patience as he waited to put the bad ball away, stroking 21 boundaries all around the wicket. He and Max Holden (86) had resumed this morning with Middlesex on 109-1 and a slim lead of 41 as they looked to make the game safe.

Northamptonshire meanwhile banked on an early burst from Ben Sanderson and Harry Conway in an attempt to make early inroads.

But as the Middlesex second wicket pair extended their overnight partnership to 165 in 47 overs, the draw quickly became the most likely outcome. Holden did fall to leg spinner Calvin Harrison on the stroke of lunch, but Middlesex skipper Leus du Plooy countered in the afternoon with an aggressive 66 not out. He shared a stand of 152 with Robson, who passed his previous highest score of 126 not out against the Steelbacks.

Ultimately, with 63 overs lost to bad light on the first three days, there was not enough time for either side to force a result. The teams shook hands on the draw after tea after the light again caused the players to go off early with Middlesex 353-3, leading by 285.

Earlier Robson survived after offering a tough chance to short midwicket from the second ball of the day, running a single to bring up his half-century.

He played a silky cover drive off Conway to mark the century partnership with Holden who reached his own 50 by pulling Sanderson behind square.

The pair saw off the initial burst from Sanderson and Conway and found it increasingly easy to score against the aging ball, 102 runs coming in the morning session. Robson moved through the eighties as leant into a glorious cover drive off Liam Guthrie and drove Harrison through the covers.

Holden though departed when he tried to pull one from Harrison which turned sharply and kept low.

Northamptonshire rotated their spinners after lunch, ensuring they moved ahead of the over rate, Robson driving Nathan McSweeney through cover before running a single to bring up his century.

Du Plooy showed positive intent, cutting and sweeping to take Middlesex past 250. He reached his second half century of the match by pulling a drag down from Harrison, before driving Saif Zaib through mid-off.

Northamptonshire delayed taking the new ball until the 94th over, opting to bowl Guthrie and Sales in order to manage the workload of their frontline seamers.

Robson cut Guthrie through backward point and then drove him through cover to go past 150 before a leg glance off Guthrie brought up Middlesex's 350. Next ball though Robson departed when keeper Lewis McManus pulled off a stunning one-handed flying catch down the legside.

Middlesex went into tea having added 141 in 37 overs in the afternoon session but just one over was possible after the interval before the umpires took the players off.

Report by ECB Reporters Network, supported by Rothesay.