County Championship: Tim Murtagh takes 10 wickets as Middlesex ease past Kent

Tim Murtagh took match figures of 10-82 to reach 1,000 wickets for Middlesex in all formats

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 County Championship victory, as they triumphed against Kent.

Player-coach Murtagh, 41, who is now in his 17th season with the county, scythed through the visitors' line-up with 6-42 - and match figures of 10-82 - 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 40-2 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.

Middlesex's four seamers all bowled with accuracy, with Ryan Higgins removing Leaning two short of his half-century and they picked-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 Tom Helm wrapped-up the innings.

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 victory shortly after tea.

Middlesex fast bowler Tim Murtagh told BBC Radio London:

"I actually didn't know. It wasn't on my radar before this game, to be honest. It was more about just trying to get us another win and build on what we had achieved against Notts last week.

"It's nice to get past that landmark for Middlesex. I've enjoyed my time here, it's been a long time and who knows how long I've got left, so I'm going to enjoy every wicket that I take at the moment.

"We've got a good squad of five or six seamers now that can play any game. We've still got guys to come in - Blake Cullen's been injured and he's a great prospect as well.

"It's a good, healthy competition between the seamers. Ethan Bamber has bowled magnificently this year already. He's taken to Division One cricket really well and that step up."

Kent opener Ben Compton:

"It was probably the best day for batting. After a very tricky period of 40 minutes that we got through last night, we really hoped to make hay this morning - and we've let ourselves down.

"Me and Jack Leaning played quite nicely to see off that first hour but to be fair to Middlesex, they were the better team with ball and bat and they played very well.

"People have clicked at different times, but we still haven't quite come together with a complete team performance, whether that be with bat or ball. We've got a very strong batting line-up. Last year we had three or four guys close on 1,000 runs.

"We've got about a 10-day break now, with Hampshire and Surrey coming up, so those are going to be tough challenges. We need to improve from this week."

Report supplied by ECB Reporters' Network.