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Positive Evening Session Ensures Balanced Day One Against Middlesex
Positive Evening Session Ensures Balanced Day One Against Middlesex
Hampshire fought back to claim six Middlesex wickets on day one of their Specsavers County Championship fixture against Middlesex
Hampshire fought back positively on day one to ensure a balanced end to day one of the opening Specsavers County Championship fixture against Middlesex at the The Ageas Bowl.
Sam Robson and Steve Eskinazi both scored fifties for the visitors before getting out in their 80s with the pair adding 105 for the second wicket.
But Hampshire, who bowled with a man light for the majority of the day after Fidel Edwards went off injured, battled hard in the evening session to even up the contest – after turning 220 for two into 290 for six at the close.
James Franklin decided to have a toss and duly won it and elected to bat – the Middlesex captain looking down not up with overcast skies overshadowed by a decidedly flat looking pitch.
Robson has a knack of scoring early season runs and he began this knock in style clipping Edwards through mid-wicket to the boundary with the first delivery before following up with two further fours soon after.
But the fast paced opening was dulled as Gareth Berg and Kyle Abbott tidied up – with Edwards forced to sit out the rest of the day after his 21st over hamstring injury, after previously pulling out of a delivery in the run-up.
Robson lost his opening partner to a corking ball from Edwards – the bowler finding some late movement to find the edge before second slip Rilee Rossouw pulled off a stunning low catch.
After a century stand with Eskinazi, Robson finally departed for 84 when he nicked Berg to Jimmy Adams.
The evening found Hampshire claim four wickets in the session, Malan guiding the impressive Brad Wheal to Sean Ervine at first slip, before the Zimbabwean bowled Eskinazi for 82 three overs later – the ball clipping the very top of off-stump.
Adam Voges, who suffered a head injury at the The Ageas Bowl last year, scored 24 quickly before he chopped Kyle Abbott onto his own stumps.
John Simpson struggled by scoring just nine in 58 balls before he woftily drove Wheal to substitute fielder Mason Crane at point.
