Middlesex endure miserable day

DAVID LLEWELLYN

reports from Lord's

Lancashire 375

Middlesex 78-7

There were long moments when it looked as if Peter Martin was going to have to celebrate his England call-up without a Middlesex wicket, as Pakistan's Test all-rounder, Wasim Akram, whipped out the first three and the last of the day with barely a whimper, including Mike Gatting and Mark Ramprakash in successive balls.

But after Glen Chapple had got in on the act to account for the fourth, Martin's labours were rewarded. His accuracy and economy was not in doubt after his first 11 overs went for nine runs, during which time he troubled all the batsmen by getting the ball to lift awkwardly from just short of a length. But he seemed unsettled, trying first one end, then the other.

Appropriately for the England new boy, it was from the Nursery End during a rain-shortened day that he finally made his mark.

The 6ft 5in Martin, who generates a fair amount of bounce as well as away movement from his 20 yard run-up, sent down a delivery of fuller length which drew the previously wary Paul Weekes half forward and slightly down the wrong line. The result was the loss of his off stump, trouble for Middlesex and relief for the engaging Martin, whose overall figures for the day were an impressive 1 for 10 off 16 overs.

There remains a lot of hard graft for Middlesex if they are to save this match, especially after Jason Gallian compounded their misery by accounting for Dion Nash close to last knockings and Wasim yorked Richard Johnson with the last ball of the day. And it is unlikely that they will be able to emulate the Lancashire tail, which has been doing some serious wagging this summer.

On the two occasions it had been called into Championship service, the last wicket had produced 89 and 43 and yesterday - with different personnel, Chapple and Gary Yates - the record was maintained with 45 for the 10th wicket. In 24 minutes the pair tore into an all-international new ball attack of New Zealand's Nash and England's Angus Fraser, adding a further 37 runs to the Lancashire cause.

Yates is something of a bandit coming in, as he did, at No 11, since his first-class career average at the start of the season was 34.96. In 34 balls he smacked two sixes and a four before becoming Keith Brown's fifth victim of the innings off the third ball of Richard Johnson's opening over of the day. It left Chapple on 40 not out and Lancashire with a comfortable cushion.