Seven more wickets required to beat Middlesex
Fri 22 Jun 2018
SCORE | Day 3 of 4, Specsavers County Championship: Leicestershire CCC 427 and 186 v Middlesex CCC 233 and 82 for 3
SCORECARD | Available through ESPN Cricinfo
HIGHLIGHTS | In-play highlights are available throughout the 2018 season
REACTION | Ben Raine spoke to BBC Radio Leicester's Richard Rae at stumps
REPORT | Leicestershire CCC displayed patience, determination and skill to maintain a position of strength on day three of the Specsavers County Championship game against Middlesex CCC.
Resuming 194 runs ahead with nine second innings wickets intact, Neil Dexter (38) and Ben Raine (36) put on 50 for the sixth wicket and Zak Chappell weighed in with 37 not out as the Foxes fought to 186 in 69.4 overs to set their visitors 381 to win.
The ever-consistent Raine then claimed a wicket in his first and last over - the all-rounder’s second victim being England international Dawid Malan - to leave Middlesex at 82 for 3.
Leicestershire CCC therefore require seven more wickets to land a third successive win in the competition, while No.3 Stevie Eskinazi (35*) and nightwatchman Ravi Patel (0*) will resume the final day with a further 299 runs needed.
Middlesex CCC made County work for every run on day three, particularly Tim Murtagh, who took 3 for 27 from 18 overs to end with a match analysis of 46-17-87-8.
There was a host of early maidens and, all told, 56 runs were added for the loss of four wickets in 28.1 overs in the first session. An important early wicket was claimed by the visitors as in-form Colin Ackermann (3) became the second successive Foxes batsman to be bowled by James Harris.
The first boundary off the bat on day three arrived in the 12th over as Mark Cosgrove drove back past his former Glamorgan CCC teammate Harris.
Murtagh’s accuracy and parsimony led to a reward when opener Harry Dearden’s battling innings of 6 came to an end, a nick going through to ‘keeper John Simpson.
Leicestershire CCC were at 32 for 3 in the 21st over and there was some welcome relief as 13 runs came from the 24th, including a four apiece for Cosgrove and Dexter. However, that was tempered by Cosgrove receiving a painful blow from the last ball of the over as Finn found some bounce from the Pavilion End.
Murtagh returned figures of 1 for 14 from a 12-over spell at the Bennett End and Max Holden built on the Ireland international’s work by removing Cosgrove (23) with his second delivery. The off-spinner got one to straighten from around the wicket to trap the batsman lbw.
The lead stood at 250 at the interval but the fifth wicket fell with the score at 65 as Harris beat the forward defensive stroke of Lewis Hill (4).
Dexter batted calmly and stylishly while Raine launched a counter-attack with four of the first 13 deliveries faced being sent to the ropes. A square drive from Dexter went for four to extend the advantage to 300, and the alliance then reached 50.
Murtagh came back to dismiss both set batsmen with off-cutters; Raine edged to the ‘keeper while Dexter missed the ball, left his ground and was stumped by Simpson standing back.
The visitors picked up their eighth wicket as Finn trapped Callum Parkinson (2) in front before Chappell played a sensible innings in adding 53 runs for the final two wickets with Gavin Griffiths (14) and Muhammad Abbas (7).
Chappell found the boundary on two occasions in the 71 balls faced, a statistic that demonstrated the pure application of his vital 108-minute stay.
The final two wickets fell as Griffiths snicked Cartwright to Simpson and Abbas holed out to mid-on from the bowling of Ravi Patel - but the final two partnerships were invaluable to the Foxes.
Middlesex CCC had 28 overs to bat after tea and lost a wicket in the very first over of the chase, Raine producing a beauty that Holden (0) could only nick to Hill.
Raine and Abbas bowled impeccable lines and lengths but Sam Robson and Eskinazi came through their spells to build a stand of 51.
It was put paid to by Griffiths, as Robson (31) was palpably leg before in the 17th over, and Raine then landed another key blow by having Malan (12) caught behind in the penultimate over of the day.
TEAM | Dearden, Horton (capt), Ackermann, Cosgrove, Dexter, Hill (wk), Raine, Chappell, Parkinson, Griffiths, Abbas.
FIGURES | 1st innings: Raine 17.2-4-53-3, Abbas 13-4-29-1, Griffiths 15-2-63-2, Chappell 14-0-65-4, Dexter 5-0-17-0.
2nd innings: Raine 9-2-27-2, Abbas 8-3-21-0, Chappell 6-1-17-0, Griffiths 5-1-15-1.
PHOTO | Thanks to Ed Melia for the photo of Neil Dexter.
* Admission to the final day's play against Middlesex CCC costs £12 for adults and £3 for under 16s. You can also follow the Foxes at the Fischer County Ground for the rest of the 2018 campaign by signing up for a Half Season Membership. For further details on the advantages of joining us, please follow the link HERE
