Higgins adds double-century as high-scoring game comes to a close

Middlesex all-rounder Ryan Higgins achieved his highest first-class score of 221 during his side's Vitality County Championship opener against Glamorgan at Lord's. The match ended in an inevitable draw.

Higgins hit 21 fours and two sixes during his epic innings, which included a ninth-wicket partnership of 114 with Tom Helm. Helm also achieved a career-best score of 64.

Middlesex scored 655 runs, which is their second-highest total in history. Glamorgan's off-spinner Kiran Carlson took 3 wickets for 147 runs, while Craig Miles and Colin Ingram claimed two wickets each. A draw was always likely on a pitch that favoured batsmen, with only 15 wickets falling over four days. Glamorgan had reached 31 for 2 in their second innings before the captains agreed to end the match.

With Middlesex requiring only 11 runs to avoid the follow-on, a positive result seemed unlikely. The visitors began the day with a gentle spin from both ends.

In the seventh over, Ingram took a routine return catch to dismiss Josh De Caires for 20, while Toby Roland-Jones scored an identical amount before being caught behind swishing at Jamie McIlroy.

The Glamorgan left-armer received some reward for his consistent bowling on a surface that offered no assistance to any of the frontline seamers, medium-pacers, or spinners shuffled around by visiting captain Sam Northeast.

Meanwhile, Higgins surpassed 150 by guiding Mir Hamza for a four to third man that required both batsmen to run. The only remaining question was whether the Seaxes' tail could provide enough support to give him a chance at a double-century.

Henry Brookes departed shortly before lunch, chipping Miles into the hands of midwicket, but Helm remained and displayed some impressive strokes, including a straight-driven boundary off Zain-ul-Hassan. Helm hit Ingram for a six over mid-on while scoring his fourth first-class half-century. Higgins also hit Ingram for a boundary off the back foot to reach his double century from 350 balls.

The landmark prompted the pair to throw the bat, and Higgins hit another six to complete the hundred partnership. Carlson finally ended his lengthy stay at the crease by tempting the double-centurion out of his ground, and Chris Cooke took off the bails.

Helm was caught off a bottom edge, becoming the keeper's third victim, and his innings ended on the stroke of tea after lasting 211 overs and two balls.

After the interval, Zain was caught behind for the second time in identical fashion, having been dismissed cheaply off Ethan Bamber in the first half-hour on day one. Finally, in the last over of the game, Leus du Plooy claimed his first wicket for Middlesex by having Billy Root caught at slip for a total of three wickets for Middlesex.