Tom Haines & Ali Orr unmoved after Middlesex post giant score

Sam Robson scored a career-best 253 and Robbie White his second successive century as Middlesex piled up the highest total in their history.

White was unbeaten on 110 when Middlesex declared on 676 for five on day 2 of their LV = Insurance County Championship match at Hove.

It was the sixth-biggest total Sussex have conceded in their history and highest for 21 years, but openers Tom Haines and Ali Orr enjoyed benign conditions too, taking their side to 103 without loss at stumps.

5⃣0⃣ for @tomhainess! 😁#GOSBTS pic.twitter.com/2OSu3bOC8O

— Sussex Cricket (@SussexCCC) September 7, 2021

Haines past 50 for the seventh time this season and at stumps he was unbeaten on 73, which included 11 fours, with Orr 17 not out.

Much of the day had been spent ticking off records as Middlesex, who had resumed on 400 for two, batted Sussex out of the game.

Sussex’s bowlers stuck manfully to their task, but the pitch has offered little assistance and the three wickets they did take came from misjudgements by the batters.

Robson moved to his double hundred in the sixth over of the day with a boundary off Henry Crocombe and then accelerated, with his next 50 runs coming off 55 balls and taking him past his previous best of 231 against Warwickshire in 2013. It was a mild surprise when he tried to hit off-spinner Jack Carson through mid-wicket and gave Tom Haines, running across from mid-off, a catch. Robson had faced 356 balls and hit one six and 30 fours.

.@_jackcarson11 in the wickets just before lunch earlier today. 💪#GOSBTS pic.twitter.com/3dFB0PhFTi

— Sussex Cricket (@SussexCCC) September 7, 2021

Carson picked up a second wicket before lunch when Max Holden was taken at bat-pad for one but White and Martin Andersson sentenced Sussex to more suffering in the baking heat during the afternoon, as they added 174 for the fifth wicket.

They went past Middlesex’s previous highest score of 642 for 3 against Hampshire at Southampton in 1923 and just before tea White, who made his maiden century against Derbyshire at Lord’s last week, took a boundary off Haines to reach his 100.

Andersson had played more fluently and looked on course for a century of his own but on 88 he tried to hit Delray Rawlins over the top but couldn’t clear long on. That was four balls before tea, but Middlesex opted to finish the over after the interval before Orr and Haines could run off to put their pads on after 161 overs in the field. White’s runs came from 193 deliveries with six fours.

Sussex fast bowler Sean Hunt said, "I thought we kept going. Hats off to all our bowlers because it was difficult at times to control the run rate but even when they had 500 for two on the board we kept supporting each other and the commitment in the field by everyone was amazing.

"I've had a side strain and a back niggle so it's been a frustrating season but I feel fit and strong now and hopefully I can finish the season well and with a few wickets. We've obviously got a lot of batting to do but Tom [Haines] and Ali [Orr] have got us off to a great start, we can't have asked for much more really."

After scoring his second century in as many matches, Middlesex's Robbie White said: "It's been a pretty amazing couple of days, first to see Sam [Robson] and Mark [Stoneman] put up that massive partnership and then to cash in and get a hundred for myself. After the hundred last week I felt pretty good. It was a decent wicket to bat on and with the sun out it was just a case of trying to help put us in as strong a position as possible.

"We've got two big days ahead of us but hopefully we can work through them. We've got runs on the board and the ball has done a bit and I think our two spinners will come more and more into play."