Ben Kosky of ECB Reporters’ Network reports sees Middlesex beat Kent at Lord’s

Lord's cricket ground - where Middlesex are playing Kent this week — Lord’s Cricket Ground – Photo by the blowup on Unsplash

Middlesex (229 & 86-1) beat Kent (186 & 128) by nine wickets

Veteran seamer Tim Murtagh recorded a 10-wicket match haul to reach his 1,000th in all formats for Middlesex and set up a second successive LV= Insurance County Championship victory as they triumphed against Kent.

The Seaxes’ player-coach, who is now in his 17th season with the county and turns 42 later this summer, scythed through the visitors’ line-up with six for 42 – and match figures of 10 for 82 – as they crumbled to 128 all out at Lord’s.

Ben Compton and Jack Leaning had dragged Kent back into contention with their solid 87-run partnership before seven wickets tumbled for only 22, leaving Middlesex to chase a modest target of 86.

They achieved that in 24.3 overs, with Sam Robson compiling an unbeaten 41 and Pieter Malan 24 not out to steer their side across the line by nine wickets.

Trailing by just three runs at 40 for two overnight, Kent moved into the lead when Compton nudged Ethan Bamber to the boundary, but overall the morning session proved a tough slog for the batting side, who were restricted to less than two an over.

Middlesex’s four seamers all bowled with accuracy throughout, with Tom Helm – wicketless in the visitors’ first innings – unlucky to claim just a single victim this time despite beating the bat on several occasions.

Helm also induced a sharp edge from Leaning on 33, but Robson, flinging himself to his right at second slip, was unable to complete what would have been a stunning one-handed catch.

However, Robson gobbled up the next chance that came his way to remove Leaning, two short of his half-century, off Ryan Higgins’ bowling and Middlesex seized on that opening by picking up two more wickets before lunch.

The normally free-scoring Jordan Cox was restricted to six from 36 balls before Bamber had him caught at slip and Murtagh struck with the penultimate delivery of the session, pinning Kent captain Sam Billings lbw for a duck.

Compton, who dropped anchor to play a typically obdurate innings of 38 in more than three and a half hours, paid the price for an uncharacteristic lapse just after the interval, dabbing Murtagh straight to gully.

The seamer claimed a five-for – the 39th of his first-class career – in his next over, knocking back Joey Evison’s off stump and followed that up with his landmark wicket four balls later as Matt Quinn was leg before swinging across the line.

Those sandwiched a second for Bamber, who had Grant Stewart caught behind and last pair Wes Agar and Michael Hogan threw the bat, both depositing Murtagh into the stand to pad out Kent’s paltry total by 19 before Helm belatedly collected his solitary wicket to wrap up the innings.

Robson, having survived a scare when Agar’s first delivery zipped through him and away for byes, gradually settled into the groove with a sweetly-struck cover boundary off Hogan and four more off Quinn.

Although Mark Stoneman perished for 13, slapping Quinn’s half-volley to mid-off, Malan joined forces with Robson for an unbroken partnership of 57 that sealed their side’s win shortly after tea.

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