Chris Rogers

Chris Rogers and Sam Robson followed up Tim Murtagh’s five for 37 with an opening stand of 98 as Middlesex dominated day one of the LV= County Championship Division One clash at the Oval.

After winning the toss, relegation-threatened Surrey were indebted to Jason Roy, who made an unbeaten 55 out of 144 before the north Londoners responded with 99 for one, with Rogers hitting 56.

The hosts lost both openers before rain intervened for the first time at 10.40am. In the second over, Zafar Ansari drove Toby Roland-Jones straight down the ground. Rory Burns then dismissed Tim Murtagh in identical fashion only to present Dawid Malan with a routine catch at first slip three balls later.

The eighth over saw Arun Harinath dab Roland-Jones wide of Joe Denly at gully for four and Ansari drive the ball straight back past the bowler. But it was not long before Roland-Jones had Ansari caught in front of first slip by Adam Rossington to make it 28-2.

Shortly after play resumed at 1.30pm, the out-of-form Zander de Bruyn was trudging back to the dressing room with a resigned look on his face, having been trapped leg before by Roland-Jones for nought.

Nine balls later, Murtagh broke through Rory Hamilton-Brown’s defences to register his 50th first-class wicket of the campaign. Thirty-three for four became 41-5 when Harinath, playing back to Roland-Jones, was adjudged lbw, though not before Jason Roy had cover driven the same bowler for four.

Steven Davies announced himself by despatching Roland-Jones to the cover rope off the back foot. Roy then flicked Roland-Jones through midwicket to take the Surrey total past fifty before hitting two successive fours off Neil Dexter, the first through straight midwicket and the second through extra cover.

However, in the 28th over, Davies edged a back foot drive off Dexter into the gloves of Rossington to make it 73 for six. Roy despatched Dexter to the boundary at long-off twice in as many balls. But the former Kent man hit back three overs later when Gareth Batty shouldered arms to bring Murali Kartik to the crease.

Kartik, who cover drove Steven Crook for four to bring up the hundred for his side, joined forces with Roy in an eighth wicket partnership that was worth 41 in 11 overs.

Following rain and an early tea, Roy pulled Crook to the rope at midwicket with such authority that Middlesex re-installed Murtagh at the Pavilion End. In the 41st over, Roy, on 47, survived a difficult caught and bowled chance off Murtagh.

However, the let-off went unpunished as Surrey slipped from 138 for seven to 144 in the space of 13 deliveries starting with the wicket of Kartik, who was bowled off his pads, looking to work Murtagh through mid-on.

Roy moved to a 74-ball half-century, which he celebrated by forcing Murtagh through midwicket for four. But with Tim Linley, who was caught at second slip, and Jade Dernbach offering little resistance, the 22-year-old was left unbowed on 55.

With the cloud cover dispersing to reveal the sun, Middlesex made the most of the change in conditions.

Chris Rogers was quick to impose himself, straight driving and cutting Linley for fours in successive overs. In the 11th over, the Middlesex skipper went down on one knee and gave a wide delivery from Linley what it deserved before Sam Robson slapped the 30-year-old seamer to the rope at deep backward point two overs later.

The introduction of de Bruyn at the Vauxhall End was the cue Rogers needed to continue stealing a boundary an over, but Surrey appeared to take some succour from the turn being extracted by Kartik, who came on in the 14th over.

Half an hour before the close, Rogers brought up his fifty, which came off 71 balls with eight fours. But in the day’s penultimate over Dernbach produced a leg stump yorker to send the 34-year-old left-hander on his way.