By Rogers and Out
July 21 2013

It took  just 80 minutes for Middlesex to wrap up a comprehensive 10 wicket win over  previously unbeaten Sussex. thus allaying the fears of many fans that we might  struggle to press home our undoubted advantage over the previous three days

My day  started with a relatively uneventful journey from Victoria to Hove, although the  train did fill up with numerous Sarf Londoners heading for a day at  Littlehampton. It was quite cloudy on the journey down, and it was fairly cool  by recent standards on arrival at Hove.

Just like Harvey the day before, I saw Ashley Giles prowling in a pair of shorts, clipboard in hand, prior to the start of play. I took a seat in the Sharks stand and wondered when Finny would be brought into the attack, presumably after the one last over with the old ball.

At the  start of play, both Hi-Fi and Corey strolled down to the Sea End, but it was the  ex-Sussex man to bowl the first over to Luke Wright. Wright continued to look in  good form and appeared happy to give the strike to Jordan. However, the first  delivery from Murts with the new ball saw Jordan unable to cope with a lifter  and Simmo took a regulation catch behind and the men from the south coast were  292/7.

There was  considerable bounce in the wicket and it seemed quite incongruous that we had  managed to amass nearly 500 runs on it in the first innings. Incoming batsman  Steve Magoffin did not look comfortable at any stage in his brief innings, and  when Corey switched to a round the wicket approach in his first over with the  new ball, Magoffin obligingly wafted a chance which was well taken by a diving  Simmo.

James  Anyon then came in and despite the ball taking off at regular intervals, he  managed to look more adept than Magoffin, although he did edge Dial M through  the slips for a fortuitous boundary. However, another brute of a ball from  Murtagh elicited an edge again taken by our glovesman, and he was on his way for  10, leaving Sussex 308/9. Well done to Simmo for his five catches in the  innings.

It was  then Monty’s turn to enter the fray and suddenly Wright was not so keen to take  the single. After Wright had clipped Corey for two runs, Panesar was eager  to get down to the striker’s end after Wright had pushed an easy single.  However,  Luke was less so, and Monty had to scramble back to  make his ground. Wright then decided that attack was the only way forward, but  fortunately for us, he only managed to loft Corey to Dex at long off and it was  all over for Sussex at 310, leaving us to make 44 runs for  victory.

Magoffin  opened the bowling from the Cromwell Road end and Robbo took three runs off the  third ball of the over. Jordan took the second over from the Sea End, and Mala  stroked a glorious four from his last ball. Despite the continual bounce, it  looked plain sailing for us, with a boundary coming each over. 

After 5  overs of pace, Sussex brought on Luke Wells and Michael Yardy, and despite a  couple of comedy short deliveries from Yardy, which only troubled ‘keeper Brown,  AC hit the winning run at 12.20 leaving us comfortable victors. For the Malan  watchers amongst us, he looked very fluent, albeit in a fairly non-pressurised  situation, and Robbo was his usual self.

Overall, a  great week for us at Hove with the T20 win as well. Whilst I might have expected  Finny to have blown the Sussex tail away today with the new ball, Corey and  Murts were able to do so with ease. We are now fourth in the table with a game  in hand over Sussex, Durham to play soon at  home and so there's still a chance for us to challenge for the title.