Hampshire’s Carberry frustrates defending champions

Middlesex will start day three of their Specsavers County Championship Division One match against Hampshire hoping for quick wickets, after being frustrated by Michael Carberry on Saturday.

The England opener was unbeaten on 84 at the close, on his first appearance at the Ageas Bowl since being diagnosed with cancer last summer, as the home side reached 209-4 in reply to Middlesex’s 356.

Starting on 290-6, the defending champions lost their last four wickets in the morning session despite a 55-run stand from Toby Roland-Jones and Ollie Rayner.

Roland-Jones eventually fell for 39 as the visitors just missed out on a fourth batting point, with Brad Wheal taking 4-98 for Hampshire.

Carberry and Jimmy Adams survived eight overs before lunch, then took their opening partnership to 57 before Rayner made the breakthrough as Adams edged to James Franklin at slip.

The roles were reverse as Franklin found the edge of James Vince’s bat for Rayner to take a catch, but Liam Dawson helped Carberry take Hampshire’s total to 113 before he was out to the last ball before tea, trapped lbw by Rayner.

Carberry brought up his half-century from 154 balls with a cut for one of his 12 boundaries and had further support from Sean Ervine, who reached his own fifty off just 70 balls before falling to Steven Finn.

But Middlesex could not dislodge the obdurate Carberry, who closed the gap to 147 runs with six wickets still in hand for Hampshire at stumps.