County Championship Division Two: Results all round as Notts and Middlesex triumph
- James Richardson
- 22 May 2022
Wins for Middlesex and Nottinghamshire have ensured that the race for promotion to the first division of the County Championship remains tightly contested.
All three County Championship Division Two matches contested this week have ended in results.
Leicestershire couldn't make it to the fourth day as they were soundly beaten by Worcestershire.
There will still two further contests to be settled though as Nottinghamshire and Middlesex came into the final day hunting wins.
Notts openers complete victory stroll
Any loss of wickets on the final day of Nottinghamshire's match against Derbyshire might have sparked panic in the hosts dressing room but Haseeb Hameed and Ben Slater proved above the pressure.
Hameed and Slater knocked off the runs inside the first session, albeit an extended one with the break pushed back to allow Notts to wrap up their win.
Slater made an unbeaten 64 while Hameed just ran out of runs to get his century, ending on 93 not out.
To add to the defeat Derbyshire have an injury concern with Suranga Lakmal reportedly suffering an elbow niggle and being unable to bowl.
Nottinghamshire 358 (Duckett 86, Potts 4-50, Conners 4-93) and 167 for 0 (Hameed 93*, Slater 64*) beat Derbyshire 260 (du Plooy 57, Guest 51) and 262 (Madsen 52, Paterson 3-35, Pattinson 3-59) by ten wickets.
Middlesex power past Durham
Middlesex began their charge to victory on day three with Toby Roland-Jones get stuck into the Durham top order.
There would be no heroics from England skipper Ben Stokes as Roland-Jones took 6 for 35 to claim a ten-wicket match haul and help his side limit their victory target to just 117.
With 44 overs to complete victory Middlesex found time to get a wobble in before skipper Peter Handscomb calmed things down with an unbeaten 39 that secured victory for his team.
It was announced today that Handscomb, the club captain, will be leaving the Middlesex camp to link up with the Australia A camp and would be stepping down from the captaincy.
Fourth-day winners Middlesex and Notts currently lead the race for promotion to County Championship Division One.
Middlesex 422 (Robson 84, Holden 71, Andersson 62, Stokes 4-72, Rushworth 3-60) and 119 for 4 (Handscomb 39*) beat Durham 350 (Trevaskis 80*, Eckersley 58, Roland-Jones 4-72) and 188 (Borthwick 60, Roland-Jones 6-35) by six wickets.
