Career-best for Tom Haines before Middlesex regain upper-hand

Photos: Neil Marshall

Tom Haines scored a career best 156 and came within 18 runs of becoming the first batsman to score a thousand runs in this year's Championship on an otherwise disappointing day for Sussex.

The home side's first innings collapse of nine wickets for 97 runs allowed Middlesex to glimpse victory in their LV = Insurance County Championship match at The 1st Central County Ground. 

The runs just keep on coming. 🙌

1⃣5⃣0⃣ on the board for @tomhainess! 🏏#GOSBTS pic.twitter.com/D6Bn9VOL09

— Sussex Cricket (@SussexCCC) September 8, 2021

Middlesex leg-spinner Luke Hollman took a career-best five for 65 on a flat pitch on which only six wickets had fallen in the opening seven sessions. Sussex, following on 357 runs behind, then lost Ali Orr, Ben Brown and Sean Hunt and closed on 88-3. Haines (39*) and George Garton (9*) were the unbeaten duo at the close.

Sussex started the third day on 103 without loss, chasing a mind-boggling 527 just to avoid the follow-on. A more realistic survival target was to get into the final day with first-innings wickets in hand.

Fast bowler Blake Cullen broke through with the first ball of the second over of the day when he found the outside edge of Orr’s bat for keeper John Simpson to take the low catch in front of first slip.  But after that Sussex had the better of the opening session and reached lunch on 217 for one with Tom Haines unbeaten on 109 – the fifth century of his career and the third of the season – and Brown  76 not out.

Brown, anxious to use his feet to counter the spin of Hollman, was stumped ten minutes after the break.  But the real Sussex implosion started at 250 when Garton swiped Hollman to deep midwicket.

It wasn’t going to get any better for the home side. At 272 the very promising Danial Ibrahim skied Sam Robson to midwicket for just five. It was only leg-spinner Robson’s seventh first-class wicket having made his highest score (253) the day before.

Then Middlesex took the new ball and Fynn Hudson-Prentice, who had hit a few pleasing drives, got one that lifted and left him from Tim Murtagh. At 308 Haines played a weary stroke and was caught behind off Murtagh, but not before he had reached 156, beating the 155 he made against Lancashire at Old Trafford at the start of the season.

Delray Rawlins was bowled for a duck and Jack Carson, Oli Carter and Henry Crocombe followed almost immediately.

Speaking at the close, George Garton said: “It wasn’t ideal towards the end. Tom [Haines] and Ben [Brown] applied themselves brilliantly before lunch. But it wasn’t the afternoon we wanted. A few of us got ourselves in and then gave it away a little bit. But fair credit to Middlesex. Their spinners played well. On the first two days it was very flat and the footholds have come into it more. But it’s still a good wicket. We’re under pressure but I feel we can bat 96 overs tomorrow.”

Luke Hollman, who has seven wickets in the match said: “It’s a dream come true. I wasn’t expecting to play that much. I was really chuffed to get the call to play in this game and get my five-for. I couldn’t have made it up better than this. The pitch was incredibly flat, which was reflected by our batting and thy way their top three batted, so I’m delighted with the way it worked out.”