County Championship: Middlesex struggle against Gloucestershire despite Robbie White knock
- Published
Robbie White has a first-class best of 99
LV= County Championship Group Three, Lord's, London (day one): |
Middlesex 210: White 76*; Payne 5-31 |
Gloucestershire 19-1: Dent 10 |
Gloucestershire (3pts) trail Middlesex (1pt) by 191 runs |
Robbie White recorded his fourth half-century of the season to rescue Middlesex's first innings in the face of some fine Gloucestershire bowling.
White (76 not out) came in at 61-3 and dug in to earn the hosts a battling bonus point by nudging them past 200.
Gloucestershire bowled tightly and accurately at Lord's, and skittled Middlesex late on for 210.
In reply, Chris Dent was run out after a horrendous mix-up with Kraigg Brathwaite as they closed on 19-1.
White is yet to register his maiden first class century, and will have to wait a little longer to surpass his best of 99, after he ran out of support.
His most meaningful partnerships came in 39 and 42-run stands with John Simpson and Martin Andersson, but neither could go on after getting a start.
David Payne, whose wife gave birth to a baby girl at the weekend, was the pick of the bowlers, finishing with 5-31.
The left-armer got key wickets early on when he removed Nick Gubbins and skipper Peter Handscomb, and then ruthlessly mopped up the tail by bowling James Harris, before removing Thilan Walallawita and Tim Murtagh in the space of three balls.
Ryan Higgins and Matt Taylor also chipped in with two wickets apiece as well as one for Tom Smith, as Gloucestershire's bowlers sent down 22 maidens.
It would have been an even better day had captain Dent, who had just hit two fours off Murtagh, then ran when Brathwaite did not seem interested and ended up well short of his crease while trying to get back.
Gloucestershire bowler David Payne told BBC Radio Gloucestershire:
"We had a little baby girl on Saturday night and everyone is happy and healthy which is the main thing really. The wife let me play this game and I'll be back there. It's been a special week.
"We bowled well, Robbie White battled well for them, there was some attritional cricket.
"It will be interesting to see how it plays tomorrow. It does look like there's always something in it for the bowlers, it will be a challenge of ugly runs."