Northants have to settle for share of the spoils as scores are tied in last-ball drama at Middlesex

Sam Robson became the home side’s first centurion of the season – but it was not quite enough to seal a much-needed victory in a breathtaking finish at Merchant Taylors’ School.

Robson struck 126 not out, sharing a fourth-wicket stand of exactly 150 with John Simpson to boost the home side’s chances of chasing down 323 against their fellow Division One strugglers.

Middlesex needed 10 from the final over, bowled by Tom Taylor – and three from the last ball – but Robson could only steer it to mid-on and scrambled back for two, meaning the scores finished level.

The resulting draw did little to help either side’s prospects in the battle to avoid relegation, with Northants staying bottom of the table and Middlesex now 16 points above them in ninth.

Northants have marginally closed the gap to third-from-bottom Kent and safety though, the difference now 27 points.

The County players took to the field wearing black armbands as a mark of respect for club stalwart Tony Kingston, who passed away on Wednesday at the age of 83, having served as their scorer for 32 years up to last season.

Surprisingly, the visitors – who were 372 for seven overnight – opted to continue batting, but extended their innings by just 11 deliveries as the last three wickets tumbled for the addition of eight more runs.

Tom Helm collected two in three deliveries to finish with three for 75, while Emilio Gay was last man out for 89, sent back attempting to snatch an ambitious single and failing to beat the throw to the bowler’s end.

Middlesex gave notice of their intent by promoting white-ball specialist Stephen Eskinazi to open, but the move fell flat as a recurrence of the finger injury he sustained while fielding on the first day forced him to retire just two overs into the chase.

With a number of deliveries keeping low, the batting side found it hard to gain traction and they were pegged back even further when Ben Sanderson’s consistent opening spell yielded wickets in successive balls.

Mark Stoneman was first to depart, adjudged lbw to one that might have drifted down the leg side – but there could be no dispute about the next, which ripped out Pieter Malan’s off stump.

Middlesex might have been three down soon afterwards when former Northants man Max Holden drove a ball to square leg and non-striker Robson eventually aborted his bid for a single halfway down the pitch, but Sam Whiteman’s throw whistled just over the stumps.

Holden began brightly after lunch, cutting Sanderson for two boundaries and looked nicely set, contributing 37 to a partnership of 63 with Robson until off-spinner Rob Keogh castled him with a ball that turned and clipped the bails.

Keogh bowled tidily throughout an initial 11-over stint, although Simpson drove him off the back foot for four to raise the Seaxes’ total beyond three figures as he and Robson kept the scoreboard ticking along.

Robson inched towards his second half-century of the season by steering Taylor for three, but the required rate had already drifted above five an over by the time Middlesex reached tea at 147 for three.

The first seven overs after the interval brought just a single boundary and the Seaxes were still struggling to accelerate when the partnership finally came to an end, with Luke Procter keeping his balance in front of the rope at long off to take the catch that removed Simpson for 75.

Procter also dismissed Ryan Higgins, who miscued to midwicket, but Roland-Jones launched a feisty assault with 34 from just 18 deliveries, including three sixes, to steer his side within 40 of the target.

Josh de Caires, with an unbeaten 17, did his best to help Robson haul them across the line, but Sanderson conceded only four from the penultimate over and that proved crucial as Northants did enough to deny their rivals victory.