Middlesex beat Northamptonshire to end promotion bid and send Kent up
Middlesex beat Northamptonshire by seven wickets at Lord's to kill off the visitors' promotion bid and send Kent up to Division One.
The result was confirmed on 26 September, on the final-round weekend of the Rothesay County Championship Division Two season. Middlesex took 20 points. Northamptonshire took three. BBC Sport
The scorecard tells a story of two very different Northamptonshire batting efforts. They were bowled out for 103 in their first innings, then made 285 in their second. Middlesex replied with 255 first time out and then reached 134-3 to chase the 134 they needed to win.
That chase was calm. Max Holden made 50 and Ben Geddes finished 59 not out. The pair shared a century stand that broke the back of the target. Three wickets down. Plenty to spare. Job done.
Northamptonshire had fought hard to set even that. Saif Zaib scored 110, his third red-ball hundred of the season, and Ricardo Vasconcelos added 69. Tom Helm took 4-62 for Middlesex and Zafar Gohar took 3-57 to keep the lead within reach.
The damage had been done early. Northamptonshire's 103 had handed Middlesex control, and the home side used it. Ryan Higgins hit 115 and Geddes added 57 in the first innings, while Higgins took 4-30 and Ferns took 4-29 with the ball. Ben Sanderson claimed 4-68 for Northamptonshire, but Middlesex still led by 152 runs after the first innings. ESPNcricinfo
For anyone new to county cricket, the shape is simple. Each team bats twice across up to four days. The team that scores more across those innings wins, unless time runs out. Here, Middlesex's big first-innings lead meant Northamptonshire needed something special second time out. Zaib gave them hope. It was not enough.
The table maths was brutal. Kent started the final round four points ahead of Northamptonshire in the race for the second promotion place. ECB Defeat left Northamptonshire stuck in third. Kent go up.
For fans, this means contrasting ends to the season. Middlesex finish with a home win and momentum. Northamptonshire finish with what might have been, after staying in the fight until the last weekend. Kent celebrate from afar.
