Sam Robson added 106 to his first-innings 231 and broke a number of Middlesex records as their Specsavers County Championship Division One match with Warwickshire drifted to an inevitable draw at Lord’s.
Warwickshire’s bowlers were made to suffer on the final day as the seven-time England opener further enhanced his claims for a Test recall.
A high-scoring draw had long been on the cards, with Middlesex reaching 304 for six in their second innings before hands were shaken.
It was a memorable day for Robson, who played all seven of his Tests in 2014.
Resuming with 35 of Middlesex’s 76 for two to his name, the 26-year-old right-hander made it to 84 by lunch and, at the start of the afternoon session, scored the five more he required to go past the previous record for the number of first-class runs made in a match at Lord’s by a Middlesex batsman, the 319 set in 1893 by Andrew Stoddart.
Best match aggregate by a Middx player
1st Middx player to hit double & in a FC game
Well batted, Robson pic.twitter.com/Qy2whBRROM— County Championship (@CountyChamp) April 20, 2016
Then, by completing his hundred, Robson equalled the match aggregate record by a Middlesex batsman in any first-class game, which was the 331 not out scored by Jack Robertson against Worcestershire at New Road in 1949.
When he was eventually stumped advancing to Jeetan Patel’s off-spin, Robson had pushed his county’s new record match aggregate mark up to 337 runs. He also became the first Middlesex batsman to score a double-hundred and a hundred in the same first-class match.
Robson added 71 for the third wicket with Nick Compton, who was lbw to Rikki Clarke for 44 in the morning session, and then 105 for the fourth wicket with Adam Voges, who went on to make 92 and take advantage of some gentle late afternoon batting practice against Warwickshire’s occasional bowlers.
Voges, however, fell to the penultimate ball of the match, skying Tim Ambrose to deep midwicket. It was Ambrose’s maiden first-class wicket and Voges was trying to reach a hundred before stumps were drawn. Every Warwickshire player, including wicketkeeper Ambrose, had a bowl, with Ian Bell giving himself seven perfectly respectable overs of medium pace.
John Simpson fell for 13 at 222, when he was lbw to Patel propping forward, but James Franklin finished on 30 not out and stayed with Voges while another 82 were added for the sixth wicket.
Both teams, regarded as two of the sides most likely to threaten Yorkshire’s dominance, will be happy enough with the points – Middlesex taking 12 overall and Warwickshire 11.
Source: ECB