Nick Gubbins 98* defies Middlesex, Liam Dawson ton cements benefit

Hampshire 284 for 4 (Dawson 111*, Gubbins 98*) vs Middlesex

Gubbins batted for six sticky hours and 262 balls on a dry and flat pitch, whereas Dawson added 111 not out of his personal in a barely sprightlier 4 hours. The pair placed on 190 to interrupt a 100-year report for the fifth wicket for Hampshire towards Middlesex, beating the 149 scored by Lionel Tennyson and Tom Jameson in June 1923.

Middlesex, who had been requested to discipline first, had been within the ascendancy at 94 for 4 after Josh de Caires had taken two-for however had been saved at bay thereafter as Hampshire reached the shut on 284 for 4.

Gubbins left Middlesex in 2021, initially on mortgage, after 152 first-team matches in seven years having come by the age teams. That departure was made with Gubbins eager to play of extra his dwelling cricket on batter-friendly wickets – with Lord’s then in the direction of the underside of the runs-per-wicket tally – and, he hoped, push his case for an England call-up.

He has averaged a smidgeon beneath 36 since his entrance on the Ageas Bowl – along with his twin centuries towards a Lancashire assault containing James Anderson and Hasan Ali in 2022 the spotlight in two inconsistent years.

Gubbins has typically walked to the crease within the formative overs of innings, and Fletcha Middleton’s footwork-less drive at Toby Roland-Jones within the fifth over meant one other early arrival. A frenetic interval noticed Joe Weatherley dropped at gully, Gubbins nearly run out by half the pitch, and Weatherley caught at sq. leg taking over a shorter Tom Helm supply – the quick bowler notably correct within the morning.

The dry pitch, unblemished blue skies, the warmth of the solar and the Kookaburra ball – being trialled on this spherical of Championship fixtures – means spin is more likely to be prevalent on this match.

Offspinner de Caires, certainly one of 4 spinners between the 2 sides, was launched as early because the fifteenth over and picked up the wickets of James Vince and Ben Brown. Vince had picked him up for 2 sixes in his vigorous 35 earlier than he was leg earlier than to 1 which straightened earlier than Brown hard-handedly pushed to brief leg. De Caires, on his first Championship look of the season, solely beforehand had Shan Masood as a first-class sufferer.

The slowness of the pitch wanted batters to settle in to succeed, Gubbins took on the problem and thrived. He solely had 32 off the primary 100 balls he confronted, along with his full drive and naturally aggressive tendencies shelved for an occupation, which dragged Dawson together with him.

In truth, regardless of coming to the crease 30 overs later than Gubbins, Dawson reached his half-century first. Dawson, maybe unlucky to not be named as Jack Leach’s alternative within the England Ashes squad, was a grasp at manoeuvring gaps, working laborious and slicing.

He reached his third fifty in his final 5 Championship innings in 87 balls, earlier than Gubbins punched by the covers later within the over to notch up his milestone in 148 deliveries. Dawson additionally received the race to 3 figures, after extra cautious batting, in 164 balls. It was his twelfth first-class century and first on the Ageas Bowl since 2019.

Gubbins – who had solely confronted his former county in non-competitive or 2nd XI video games – was given a life after a easy probability was shelled at sq. leg and regardless of batting nearly all day a century should wait.