Middlesex 342 for 7 (Higgins 107, du Plooy 57, Roland-Jones 51) vs Derbyshire
On the opening day of their match against Derbyshire at Lord's, Middlesex rallied from early setbacks to reach 342 for 7, thanks largely to a stellar century from Ryan Higgins and a determined half-century from captain Toby Roland-Jones.
Middlesex's Recovery Led by Higgins
Higgins, born in Zimbabwe, once again emerged as Middlesex's saviour. He crafted his fourth century of the season, scoring 107 off 152 balls, capping off his innings with a six into the Mound Stand as the hosts recovered from a precarious position of 189 for 6.
Higgins, along with skipper Toby Roland-Jones, who scored an unbeaten 51—his first championship half-century in nearly two years—set a new record for Middlesex’s eighth-wicket partnership against Derbyshire, amassing 112 runs. This partnership surpassed the previous record of 95 runs, set by Wilf Slack and Colin Metson at the County Ground in Derby back in 1981.
Derbyshire's Bowling Efforts
Despite the late assault, Derbyshire's bowlers had dominated much of the day. Spinner Alex Thomson led their efforts, finishing with figures of 2 for 43.
Middlesex chose to bat first after winning the toss, a decision met with applause from their supporters, who were used to seeing their team field first this season. However, the lively pitch at Lord's proved challenging.
Zak Chappell made an immediate impact, removing Sam Robson for a duck in the very first over, caught at backward point. This set the stage for a tense morning session, with Derbyshire's bowlers extracting significant movement and bouncing from the green-tinged surface.
Challenges and Resilience from Middlesex’s Batsmen
Both Mark Stoneman and Max Holden faced difficult spells. Stoneman was fortunate to survive a near-catch off Chappell, while Holden narrowly avoided edging a swinging delivery from Sam Connors. Just as it seemed Middlesex had weathered the initial storm, Stoneman was caught off a leg-side delivery from Anuj Dal, thanks to a spectacular catch by wicket keeper Brooke Guest.
New batsman Leus du Plooy, playing against his former county, entered into a tense battle with Thomson. Du Plooy, appearing jittery, attempted to charge down the pitch, but Thomson cleverly mixed up his deliveries to keep him in check.
Holden struggled to find his rhythm as the ball started to swing more under cloudy skies. His patience ran out, leading to a loose shot that resulted in a catch by Aneurin Donald at slip.
Higgins and du Plooy Steady the Ship
Du Plooy and Higgins then steadied the innings, with du Plooy showcasing some elegant drives and late cuts as he reached his half-century. However, his stay was cut short by Thomson, who got him to edge a bouncer, providing Guest with another catch and ending their 63-run stand. Thomson continued his fine form by dismissing Nathan Fernandes before tea, with a delivery too close to cut that was caught by Wayne Madsen at slip.
After the interval, Jack Davies edged a delivery through to Guest, leaving Middlesex in trouble at 189 for 6.
Higgins and Roland-Jones Revive Middlesex
Higgins, who had earlier survived a chance on 33 when Donald dropped him at slip off a reverse sweep from Thomson, found his groove and reached his half-century, hitting five boundaries. Luke Hollman provided some support before edging a ball from Daryn Pavillon to Madsen at slip. Following this, Higgins began to play more aggressively, benefiting from a couple of fortunate edges through the slip cordon to the boundary.
With Roland-Jones at the other end, they quickly added a 50-run partnership. Roland-Jones broke his bat while digging out a yorker from Connors, then smashed the next delivery over the boundary into the Mound Stand. He repeated this to secure Middlesex’s second batting bonus point. Higgins, reprieved again on 88 when a high chance at second slip was dropped, took full advantage to reach his century late in the day. Shortly after, Roland-Jones also reached his milestone, capping off a remarkable fightback for Middlesex.