And that’s stumps at Lord’s, coming as Roland-Jones is trapped lbw by Robinson for 36. Middlesex are 326 for eight and the lead is 260 at the end of day three.
We’ll have reports for you shortly, and thanks for reading.
A final missive from Lord’s: So Malan’s gone to a fine century. He’s basically been very clever, aschewing all risk, leaving everything and playing with soft hands. In doing so, he’s taken the game away from Sussex as the lead is up towards 250, which will be no fun on this tomorrow. TRJ has proved a handy ally by giving it a bit of biff. To their credit, Sussex have tried everything, but he’s just been a bit too good. Just five overs to the close, now.
More from Lord’s: Middlesex’s lead is 200, and for the second time in the match Malan is into the 90s. He’s played brilliantly, with soft hands and seldom loosely, although a couple of loose drives in that Robinson over (he was bowling seam again with the new ball) earned him four and six. Rayner was trapped in front by Magoffin with that new ball, so Toby Roland-Jones is in, and he’s great fun to watch, technically correct and with wonderful striking ability. Zaidi back on now, and he’s just been pumped for four past cover by TRJ. It’s 271 for seven and the lead is 105.
Teatime report from Lord’s: So things got really weird in the last few overs before the break. Malan and Simpson had shared such a fine partnership, when Joyce turned to his fourth spinner. No, not the World T20 winning spinner Mike Yardy, but Ollie Robinson, their opening bowler and seam-up merchant. And, in his second over, he’s picked up two wickets, for Pete’s sake.
In the first, Malan belted a long hop to the cow fence, just his third boundary, but he did find some nice turn. In the second, he looped one up, full outside Simpson’s off stump, he had to play and he does, it turns and takes the edge, which Joyce catches at slip! A classic off-break to the left-hander, lovely stuff. The second was also well bowled, forcing James Harris to turn to legslip, where Nash catches brilliantly to dismiss him for a pair. He’s desperate to bat at seven but a double bagel does him no favours at all. I gather Robinson bowled some offies in the 600 played 600 stinker at Edgbaston recently, but this game is very much alive and well, unlike that one. Spectacular move from Joyce.
Rayner’s in and he’s pumped Wells to the legside boundary twice in his first four balls. Malan’s the key here, he’s played brilliantly, taking no risks. Rayner’s going to give it some bunt, and so will Toby Roland-Jones. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, chasing 200 will be grim on this.
It’s 232 for six, and the lead is 166.
Malan and and Simpson have shared a crucial 50 stand and Middlesex’s lead is 133. There is turn, occasionally extravagant, and Zaidi and Wells are wheeling away. Runs couldn’t be accused of flowing, but Malan’s just hit a lovely cut against the spin of Wells to move to 49 and every single is vital now, with Harris and Rayner the next two in. A bit of resistance from each of them should haul the lead towards 200, which I still reckon is enough. Oh, and there’s a nice drive for two from Malan to reach his half-century – his second of the match – off 100 balls. Well played, he’s judged the location of his off stump better than anyone else in the match. He’s actually just offered a chance to leg slip, but it was mighty tough and no dice.
For the third consecutive day, we have a fine crowd here at Lord’s, and I’ve just spent a bit of time down behind the bowler’s arm (the track in use is in line with the home balcony) in the Edrich Stand with my colleague and some-time patron of this blog, Vish Ehantharajah. We were rather surprised to see a minor ruckus unfold. A chap who’d just arrived was given a volley of abuse by more seasoned folk when he accidentally delayed play by getting in Malan’s eyeline. A schoolboy error, but he got a really unnecessary hiding from the others and was not impressed at all, responding in kind and eventually alerting a steward. Very un-Lord’s, it has to be said.
It’s 199 for four and it looks like Liddle is back into the attack.
Chris Cartwright's latest from Scarborough
Catches win matches? What a load of tosh! Not that they don’t, of course, but batting wins matches, too. So does bowling. Yet still we have the blokes with pink gins in their hands telling us that “catches win matches, you know, old boy”. It rhymes, so it must be true and therefore has to repeated. Having got that off my chest – and yes, I feel better for it, thanks – Glenn Maxwell managed an astonishing snare in the second over after lunch here to remove Scott Borthwick for 31, He was at third slip when the ball was edged to the fourth slip area but he dived and grabbed the ball left-handed in a rather, well, Ben Stokes-ish fashion.
Since then Gordon Muchall has gone, too, but Durham are not yet collapsing in a heap. Instead, Michael Richardson has moved on to 36 and Jack Burnham, having been on a pair in his first-class debut, has reached double figures and is probably feeling happier about life and cricket. He just has to be careful he doesn’t edge the ball to those slips. Because catches wins matches, you know.
An update from Lord’s: So Joyce went back to seam after lunch, even though Zaidi had done a job for him before the break. Malan drove Liddle’s first ball handsomely for three but generally the going was tough and he and Franklin received quite an examination. Both were beaten all ends up a couple of times by Magoffin, who swapped back to the Pavilion End and found some variable bounce and a bit of movement. Eventually he got Franklin to have a nibble, and Joyce dived to his left at first to take the catch and earn Magoffin his 500th first class wicket. Classic Magoffin, what an appropriate way to bring up the milestone.
John Simpson has come in and shown, as coaches these days say, “good intent”. Liddle dropped short and he pulled a flat six over midwicket, before driving Magoffin beautifully through mid-off. Tough for Malan but he’s battling very hard. The spinners – Zaidi and Nash, this time – are back, and the lead is 99. This is wonderfully poised.
The lunchtime update from Chris Cartwright at Scarborough
What had been a very acceptable session for Durham ended with Graham Clark trooping off just ahead of the rest of the players after he had been adjudged leg before to Liam Plunkett for 36. That left Michael Richardson’s team on 107-2 after 25 overs in their pursuit of 447 in the fourth innings to beat Yorkshire and it was equivalent to finding a dead fly in the lower reaches of one’s Caesar salad.
It was, though, reward for Yorkshire’s seamers, who bowled a fine, full length and let the ball swing and move off the pitch. As a result they conceded 20 fours in that 107 runs, although some of those were edges. But they got the wickets of Stoneman and Clark, the latter leg before to a ball from Plunkett that some thought might have been shading down the leg side. However, I didn’t get where I am today by doubting Jeremy Lloyds’s judgement and that is as much as I wish to say on the matter. It’s still gorgeous here, by the way, as no doubt, it is at Colchester, Swansea, Worcester and elsewhere this fine Sunday. I hope you’re all enjoying it.
As we take lunch on Day Three, this game is interestingly poised. Zaidi has swapped to the Pavilion End and, in his second over up there, has removed Compton’s leg stump. Maybe wasn’t the brightest stroke from Compo a few minutes before lunch.
Franklin and Malan are at the crease, there are four men round the bat and Wells is bowling his leggies up the other end. Middlesex need to be really careful here. It is turning, their lead isn’t vast and their batting is a little shallow, with James Harris in at seven.
That wicket probably makes it Sussex’s session – just – but Middlesex have batted fine in testing conditions. Gubbins was unlucky to be given out off the sleeve and Robson was caught off guard by turn to the spinner’s first ball. If they can get themselves another 100-150, Sussex will have a very stinky chase on their hands against a couple of spinners. Zaidi is certainly not an extravagant turner of the ball, but he bowled well and found spin.
Enjoy your lunch – HUGE hour coming up after the interval. It’s 127 for three, and the lead is 61.
Lunchtime at Lord's pic.twitter.com/Pidt3npfHy
— Will Macpherson (@willis_macp) August 9, 2015
Updated
The latest from Lord’s: So it took Ed Joyce 85 minutes to introduce spin this morning and, lo and behold, Ashar Zaidi, that glorious chubby funster, gets Robson, who was playing so well, first ball, with one that turns, gets a bit of bat and takes the edge. Brown did the rest behind the stumps, but Umpire Bodenham took an age to make a decision, and I’m not sure the finger actually ever went up, but with the Sussex players adamant that he’d hit it, Robson eventually turned and headed off, having made 77.
Dawid Malan is in and he tried a massive sweep second ball and missed it, but survives. Compton is looking better now, taking consecutive fours to midwicket and fine leg off Liddle’s last over. It’s 110 for two and Middlesex need to be careful here, they’re 44 ahead, but theirs isn’t the longest batting line-up in the world. That said, if Ashar Zaidi’s spinning it then there’s plenty in the pitch…
Here's the latest from Chris Cartwright
There is cricket to relish at North Marine Road and the crowds packing the stands at the Pavilion End of this wonderful ground are enjoying it all. The amuse-bouche consisted of Steve Patterson whacking some fine boundaries and taking his score to 36 before he lost his off stick to a Graham Onions yorker. Yorkshire were thus bowled out for 440 in their second innings, leaving Durham to score 447 to win on what is still a decent wicket.
This would be the third highest total Yorkshire have ever conceded in the fourth innings to lose a game but Durham made a good start to the job, Mark Stoneman and Graham Clark putting on 54 before Stoneman was caught and bowled by Bresnan who stuck out his right hand in his follow through to take a fine reflex snare. Before that dimissal, Stoneman and Clark had both played some lovely shots to Yorkshire’s seamers, who were not dissuaded from bowling an attacking length. Scott Borthwick is in now, the sun has placed a metallic sheen on the roofs of the houses around this ground and the Beacon Farm cinder toffee ice-cream is slipping down very nicely. Durham are 61-1 and most things are right with the world.
Basically Sammy Robson is playing a different game to his mates here. Gubbins lacked fluency and Compo’s not settled, but Robson’s basically timing the pants off all and sundry. He’s been dominant to third man and backward point as per, and has straight-driven and flicked off his legs well too. He’s on 69 now.
Liddle, like Magoffin (who’s been typically excellent this morning), has swapped ends for the first time in the match. He’s at the Nursery End now. In red ball cricket at least, I find there’s something endearingly schoolboy about Liddle’s methods. The left-armer goes over the wicket to left-handers and around it to right-armers, without fail. It’s working nicely though, and Compo is struggling to get him away. There was a big lbw shout just then, though it was probably doing too much. Compton’s responded with a wonderful cover drive though. Liddle’s sharp and has got good lift off the pitch which, while no minefield, is still doing a bit and won’t be much fun to chase 150-200 on. Middlesex, almost without me noticing, have taken the lead. It’s 92 for one and they’re 26 in front.
Morning all. Lord’s is looking an absolute picture this morning. Beyond the pavilion there’s just some light, high clouds in the distant that look a bit like latte for a flat white, just very gently frothed. Good crowd growing too.
We’ve had a wicket, Middlesex’s Nick Gubbins, caught behind off Steve Magoffin, although I think it hit his arm. Gubbins had been pretty scratchy and was struggling to deal with the tall Australian, who has switched to the Pavilion End for the first time in the match. Sammy Robson has just gone to a very fine 50 (from 67) courtesy of a Luke Wells misfield at midwicket. Nick Compton is out there with him. It’s 68 for one and all is right with the world.
Here's Chris Cartwright with the preamble
Good morning from Scarborough where the sun is breaking through milky clouds and we are set for another fine day’s cricket at one of English cricket’s most treasured Festivals. Indeed there is even a Festival Service taking place at St Mary’s church in the town this morning. As I ambled to what we in the press laughingly label “work” this morning I was pondering whether there are any better walks to a first-class cricket match than that which takes in Scarborough’s North Bay. I invite your suggestions. I also invite Durham’s batsmen to make a good fist of chasing down in excess of 400 to beat Yorkshire. We shall see and I shall do my best to report what occurs at North Marine Road.
Glamorgan certainly has some notable candidates in the aesthetic stakes. A saunter to Colwyn Bay, for example, and certainly the walk through Bute Park to the ground I still insist on calling, at least on blogs, Sophia Gardens. Then there is the approach to St Helens, Swansea where, this morning, Gloucestershire need just 108 to beat Glamorgan, one of those tricky run-chases that look straightforward until three poles disappear in the first ten overs.
Colchester may have its advocates, too, and it was on that ground where Monty Panesar took three wickets yesterday to cheer his many supporters and leave Essex’s match against Surrey very much in the balance with two days left to play. Few would omit New Road from any consideration of lovely walks to fine grounds and it is there this morning that Worcestershire will resume their second innings leading Nottinghamshire by 54 runs with just six wickets in hand.
For the elder statesmen, of course, nothing beats a walk to Lord’s and that privilege will be accorded my colleague Will Macpherson this morning. The game at HQ is very well-balanced with Middlesex 19 runs behind Sussex with all their wickets in hand. We await the observations of the preternaturally wise Will with the greatest interest. And what of the situation at the Rose Bowl, a lovely ground with some fine views, although the wander towards it is hardly to be recommended. Hampshire will begin the third day 242 runs ahead of Warwickshire with nine second innings wickets left in a game they almost certainly need to win to keep their chances of retaining their First Division status.
I’m not sure that the Leicester-born C P Snow could plead a case for the walk to Grace Road in this little debate but I like the place with its George Geary Stand and the Meet. In truth I am a cricket tragic and there is, thank God, no cure. Enough of this. Have a fine day, wherever you are watching your cricket this August Sunday
