Ryan Higgins century puts Middlesex in command as Northants promotion hopes crumble at Lord's

Ryan Higgins recreated last weekend's One-Day Cup final heroics with another century to help Middlesex take firm control on a wicket-laden first day of their Rothesay County Championship Division Two match against Northamptonshire at Lord's.

The all-rounder, whose 100 underpinned the Seaxes' fightback to beat Leicestershire in Sunday's Metro Bank One-Day Cup final, came to the rescue again after Northamptonshire seamer Ben Sanderson (4-68) had reduced Middlesex to 32-4. Higgins finished with 115 to his name and had earlier taken 4-30, while new recruit Danru Ferns picked up 4-29 as Northamptonshire were flattened for just 103 – seriously denting their prospects of overhauling Kent to claim the second promotion place in Division Two.

Middlesex, who signed Ferns for the last three games of the season, closed on 255 all out to lead Northamptonshire (3 points) by 152 runs, having secured 4 points.

Northants collapse after winning the toss

Luke Procter's decision to bat after winning the toss appeared to backfire rapidly. The Northamptonshire captain was pinned leg before by Toby Roland-Jones for a third-ball duck, while Higgins' opening spell inflicted further damage.

Gus Miller and Saif Zaib fell to Higgins in quick succession, and Ferns then struck with his maiden delivery at Lord's as Calvin Harrison pumped the ball straight to the cover fielder. Ferns found plenty of movement down the slope and also removed Ricardo Vasconcelos, who had batted nicely to reach 26 before slashing a widish ball to second slip.

James Sales counter-attacked with a few crisp boundaries and he and Lewis McManus staged a mini-recovery, adding 33 before McManus drove at Tom Helm, who reacted quickly to twist in his follow-through and snag a return catch.

Higgins returned after lunch to dismiss Louis Kimber and Sanderson, while Ferns brought one back to trap Harry Conway in front. The fall of the ninth wicket prompted Sales to start hitting out, and having slammed Ferns over mid-off for four to lift Northamptonshire's total into three figures, Sales was yorked for 43 the very next over.

Geddes and Higgins revive Middlesex's fortunes

Like their opponents, Middlesex lost a wicket in the first over as Sanderson nipped one back into Sam Robson's pads, and Nathan Fernandes followed in identical fashion, shuffling across soon afterwards. With Max Holden caught behind off a thin edge and Caleb Falconer becoming Sanderson's third lbw victim, Middlesex found themselves four down in the ninth over.

But Ben Geddes and Higgins revived their fortunes. Geddes was on the front foot to the seamers, driving to the cover fence three times in one Sanderson over and slamming a short-pitched effort from Procter for four more to take the partnership beyond 50. Higgins, having survived a sharp caught-and-bowled chance to Conway, used his feet to good effect as well, and the pair had secured a narrow lead by the time Miller's inswinger zoomed in to hit the top of Geddes' stumps shortly before tea. Geddes finished with a gutsy 57.

Duke and Higgins pile on the runs in the final session

Harry Duke – who had shared a partnership of 135 with Higgins in the One-Day Cup final – took up the baton in the final session, dispatching Conway for successive fours before Higgins passed his half-century by cutting the seamer to the rope as Middlesex continued to stretch their advantage.

Procter made the breakthrough, bringing himself on to unseat Duke for 28 with a ball that pitched and seamed to hit middle and off, but Higgins embarked on a late assault against Miller, hitting a series of fours to bring up his hundred. He and Zafar Gohar added 62 for the seventh wicket as Middlesex advanced beyond 250, before Higgins was finally out, top-edging a slog sweep off Yuzevndra Chahal. Harrison finished off the innings by bowling Helm.

With a 152-run lead already banked and Northamptonshire's promotion ambitions hanging by a thread, Middlesex will look to press home their advantage on day two.

ECB Reporters' Network supported by Rothesay.