Worcestershire build lead against Middlesex

Dan Lategan first joined Worcestershire as an academy player at under-15 level [Shutterstock] Rothesay County Championship, Division Two, Lord's (day two) Worcestershire 191: D'Oliveira 75; Higgins 3-39 & 200-7 Libby 79, Lategan 65; Higgins 4-53 Middlesex 183: Gohar 42; Hannon-Dalby 4-45, Finch 3-61 Worcestershire (3 pts) lead Middlesex (3 pts) by 208 runs with 3 wickets remaining Match scorecard Worcestershire's teenage opener Dan Lategan posted his second half-century in successive County Championship games as the visitors built a handy lead over Middlesex at Lord's. The South African left-hander, who turns 20 next month, hit a bristling 65 from 63 balls and shared an opening partnership of 112 with Jake Libby to re-establish control after Middlesex had effectively secured parity. Zafar Gohar top-scored on 42 as the Seaxes' tail wagged robustly to reach 183, just eight runs short of Worcestershire's total before Lategan, who struck the ball cleanly and with power, provided the Pears' second innings with impetus.

But, despite Libby's knock of 79, a clutch of late wickets – four of them for Ryan Higgins – kept Middlesex firmly in contention as Worcestershire closed on 200 for seven – an overall advantage of 208. The home side resumed in the morning exactly 100 in arrears and under pressure at 91 for six, with the murky overhead conditions offering initial assistance for Olly Hannon-Dalby and Tom Taylor. They lost Joe Cracknell early, adjudged caught behind to Hannon-Dalby (four for 45) off a thin edge but, as the sun began to emerge, so did a wider array of attacking strokes from Gohar and Sebastian Morgan (25).

Morgan paddled Adam Finch over the infield for four, then his hook from the following ball was fumbled over the boundary at backward square – but the teenager's luck ran out as he pulled the next to midwicket. Gohar kept up Middlesex's momentum, moving within sight of a third half-century for the county only to be undone by a shrewd bowling change as Ethan Brookes tempted him to cut and Gareth Roderick snapped it up low behind the stumps. It looked as though the Pears might give up a first-innings advantage when Toby Roland-Jones went on the offensive, lifting Taylor into the Mound Stand for the only six of the innings, but he was last out after swinging and missing at Finch (three for 61).

Worcestershire wasted no time in increasing their slender lead, with Morgan's first over disappearing for 15 as Lategan and Libby went for their shots, raising the 50 partnership at just under a run a ball. Lategan survived a close call when he edged Higgins' first delivery low to slip, but exuded energy and confidence as he passed his half-century from 48 balls, following that landmark by driving Gohar over the top for six. Having switched ends with Naavya Sharma, Higgins was dispatched for successive fours by Lategan but eventually got his man, squeezing one through the left-hander's defences to hit off stump.