Middlesex v Yorkshire Day Four
Yorkshire 178 & 416
Middlesex 123 & 472-3
Middlesex 19pts beat Yorkshire 3pts by seven wickets
Chris Rogers led Middlesex’s class of 2014 into the history books at Lord’s yesterday.
The Aussie opener made the 10th double century of his career as the tenants of Lord’s chased down an ‘impossible’ target of 472 on the final day against Yorkshire, the highest run chase ever by the county at the home of cricket.
His 241 not out was the second highest individual score ever in a successful run chase.
In the county’s 150th anniversary year the feat led to Gus Fraser’s side being mentioned in the same breath as the team of 1925 who completed the highest County Championship run chase ever – an incredible 502-6 against Notts at Trent Bridge.
Back then it was another Seaxes great Patsy Hendren who led the way with 206 not out and Rogers’ effort yesterday has earned him the right for similar legendary status.
It certainly saw him given a standing ovation by all present at the greatest cricketing theatre in the world.
Closer inspection shows the two matches, though 91 years apart bore an uncanny resemblance.
The scorecard of 1925 shows Nottinghamshire made 167 and 461 while Middlesex were skittled for 127 first time up before Hendren’s heroics.
Nine decades on pitches have improved, but the sports pragmatists will tell you run chases of 472 just don’t happen.
Rogers’ opening partner Sam Robson had said on the evening of day three the prospect would be the equivalent of scaling Mount Everest and even Rogers himself would admit post match he had set out believing it to be a lost cause.
However, the 181 stand with Robson the previous afternoon saw Middlesex begin the final day 230-1.
Even then history favoured Middlesex, yet it seems no-one had told ‘Buck’ (Rogers)
Heading to the nursery ground for a net before play Rogers greeted one reporter who told him to ‘go well today.’
The Aussie replied ‘Yes, a few more runs I reckon’ and boy did he deliver.
Resuming on 122 he survived an early LBW shout to go on to hit 37 fours as his team wrote their way into the county’s folklore.
The 36-year-old left-hander drove fiercely off both front and back foot to dominate the Tykes’ attack which toiled to remove him on an ever flattening wicket.
His team-mates from the middle-order, justifiably maligned after their feeble efforts in the first innings on the second morning this time all chipped in to provide valuable support.
Dawid Malan fell early on day four, trapped LBW by Ryan Sidebottom for 35 despite appearing well forward.
Eoin Morgan survived a better shout when on 15 to help Rogers add another 70 , before his second loose stroke of the match saw him depart for 27, giving Yorkshire fresh hope shortly before lunch.
Another wicket then and the dream might have been de-railed – enter Neil Dexter.
The former club captain came in on a pair and with no form behind him having just returned from paternity leave after the birth of his daughter Holly.
There were 145 still needed, but the pair continued to play positively to reduce this to 112 by lunch.
On the resumption Rogers just kept batting his 200 coming up from his 250th delivery.
Dexter too played positively, surviving big shouts for a catch behind when 21 to raise his 50 with the first of two huge sixes.
The end came quickly as the former Kent man (72 not out) struck two fours and a six in the space of four balls before he and Rogers embraced to salute an incredible win.
The double centurion raised his bat to all sides of Lord’s to acknowledge his ovation, while the sporting pragmatists amongst us went to look for romantic hidden somewhere inside ourselves.
