Middlesex and Worcs in tight tussle on day one

Rothesay County Championship, Division Two, New Road, Worcester (day one)

Middlesex 291-8: Du Plooy 85, Robson 70, Holden 49; Finch 4-70, Allison 3-69

Worcestershire: Yet to bat

Worcestershire (2 pts), Middlesex (1 pt)

Match scorecard

There was nothing to separate Worcestershire and Middlesex as a determined display with the ball helped the home side take eight wickets on the opening day of their County Championship match at New Road.

Momentum sway back and forth, but four wickets for Adam Finch and Ben Allison's 3-69 helped peg back the visitors, whose grip loosened after an assured start.

Middlesex fought hard, after they were rocked by the news all-rounder Ryan Higgins has sustained an injury to his wrist and will be unavailable for the next two months while he recovers.

Sam Robson's 70 dominated a second-wicket stand worth 94 with Max Holden (49 from 151), before a revitalised Pears attack hit back in the afternoon session.

Two wickets in two balls from Finch stalled Middlesex late on, but Leus du Plooy's 85 kept the visitors well in the fight heading into day two, closing 291-8.

Tom Taylor needed just three overs to mark his return to red-ball cricket with the dismissal of Ben Geddes, as the opener edged to Jake Libby at fourth slip for five.

Sam Robson dug in during an examining opening hour, showing all his maturity to see his side through without any further casualties, despite Libby squandering a tough chance in the cordon.

At 62-1 by lunch, Robson returned shortly after the interval to chalk up his second fifty of the county season, whilst Holden produced a gritty knock of 13 from 100 deliveries at the other end.

With just 16 points separating second and seventh place in Division Two, the attritional nature of the contest continued into the afternoon, as two sides searching for a third win of the season resisted one another.

Worcestershire's seamers continued to battle hard on a docile surface, with the next chance coming via a mix up in the middle that left Robson well short of his ground at the non-striker's end, but a poor throw saved the opener's blushes.

Five balls after passing 100, the returning Ben Allison claimed the key scalp of Robson, with the Middlesex batter departing for a disciplined 70 after chopping on to his own stumps in the 46th over.

Featuring for the first time this campaign after a delayed start through injury, Allison hit back with a second wicket in an impressive spell as he nipped one back that castled Holden, with the left-hander forced to depart for a turgid 151-ball 49.

Worcestershire's efforts to capitalise were to little avail, as the new pair of Caleb Falconer and Du Plooy settled in swiftly, touching gloves to acknowledge their fifty partnership shortly after Brett D'Oliveira entered the attack for the home side.

The momentum of the day swung drastically when Finch roared into life by taking two wickets in successive balls soon after tea.

In a pivotal 67th over, the right-arm seamer first pinned Falconer lbw for 37 with a ball that shaped back, before sending Joe Cracknell on his way for a first-ball duck as the hosts wrestled back momentum at 199-5.

Finch grabbed a third wicket of an excellent spell as he helped strengthen the Pears grip on proceedings when he hurried Ethan Bosch for four.

Visiting skipper Du Plooy registered a fifth half-century of the season as play entered the final hour, before Allison grabbed a third as Gohar became Worcestershire's seventh victim of the day.

Finch ended du Plooy's riposte for a superb 85 in the dying embers.

Report by ECB Reporters' Network, supported by Rothesay.