This remained the highest opening partnership for Middlesex till the unlikely pair of Gatting and Justin Langer added 372 against Essex in 1998. The club has always held first-class status and has competed in the County Championship since the official start of the competition in 1890.

Tuffnell with a fag hanging out of his mouth, never completing a word longer that two syllables would regularly wind up Syksey who himself was on a constant weight loss programme, convinced that wrapping up his torso in a black plastic bin liner was the way to go, rather than reducing the after-game beers and curries.I guess it was due to that desire to progress in the grieving process that I was enthusiastic about the publication of the 2015 fixtures and am looking forward to watching tomorrow's Sri Lanka v England ODI.

What is even more heartening at this still difficult time is Sean Abbott's form under the circumstances.

said as much, which is why the greenest of green tops is in place at MTS, so the batsmen can get on top of it - though, goodness knows, that might actually reduce confidence further! So when I chatted with Barmy Kev in the autumn, explaining to him what Ogblog is about and offering him some ideas for pieces, the answer was, “I could do with some stuff for after Christmas”.

Philip may not have been with us very long but what an impression he made on everyone on and off the field.In the topsy-turvy days when England cricket went through the ups of winning the Ashes and the downs of being whitewashed by West Indies, there was in Middlesex a batsman from St. A brew in the Allen with Phil"the power" Taylor who was already there (way overdressed) and Dingy Bags who arrived soon after I did then upstairs to watch the game unfold. It would have been appropriate had David Warner been named Man of the Match, but after Nathan Lyon followed his first innings 5-134 with a second innings 7-152, there could be little arguing about Lyon instead receiving the award.