Geddes fires Middlesex to victory over Lancs

Rothesay County Championship, Division Two, Emirates Old Trafford (day three)

Lancashire 201 & 84: Jennings 18; Sharma 4-17

Middlesex 169 & 117-4: Geddes 73 n.o.; Balderson 2-23

Middlesex (19 pts) beat Lancashire (3pts) by 6 wickets

Match scorecard

Middlesex secured their second victory of the season when they defeated Lancashire by six wickets on a dramatic third day of the County Championship match.

Naavya Sharma took a career-best four for 17 and Ryan Higgins four for 27 to help dismiss the home side for 84, Middlesex's first win at Old Trafford since 1996.

The visitors then needed 117 to win and the outcome was in some doubt when they were 64 for four just after lunch but Ben Geddes's 73 not out off 70 balls enabled them to reach their target in some comfort.

Higgins was unbeaten on seven having helped Geddes put on an unbroken 53 for the fifth wicket.

The result takes Middlesex above their opponents in the Division Two table but the two sides' placings will not be clear until this round of matches is completed.

In the most dramatic of morning sessions, Middlesex continued their destruction of Lancashire's second innings precisely where they had left off on Saturday. Resuming on 45 for three, the home side lost their last seven wickets for the addition of 39 runs and their last six for 21 in 10.1 overs.

Many headlines will be claimed by Sharma, who took three wickets in his first over, four wickets in ten balls and finished with career-best figures of four for 17 in 4.4 overs. But as on Friday, this was a combined effort which reflected well on all four members of Leus du Plooy's attack.

Higgins took the first wicket of the day and his fourth of the innings when he had Marcus Harris caught behind by Harry Duke for one in the second over of the day. Toby Roland-Jones then trapped Michael Jones for 10 and bowled nightwatchman Mitch Stanley for eight when the ball hit the outside of the very top of the off-stump bail and that caused the leg-stump bail to topple.

That left Lancashire desperately placed on 64 for six but the real drama was yet to come. Brought on to replace Roland-Jones at the Brian Statham End, Sharma had Michael Hurst caught at slip by Higgins for seven with his first ball, Tom Hartley caught behind for a golden duck with his second and Tom Bailey pouched at slip by du Ploy with his sixth. Next over, Sharma completed his career-best return when Chris Green skied him to Roland-Jones at deep mid-on.