Gohar bowls Middlesex to victory against Worcs

Rothesay County Championship, Division Two, New Road, Worcester (day four)

Middlesex 339 & 283-6 dec: du Plooy 101*, Cracknell 46; Darley 2-32

Worcestershire 265 & 216: Allison 89; Gohar 6-31

Middlesex (21pts) beat Worcestershire (4pts) by 141 runs

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Match scorecard

Zafar Gohar took 6-31 to spin Middlesex to a comfortable 141-run County Championship win over Worcestershire on day four at New Road.

Ben Allison produced a superb 89 to keep the Pears' hopes of a famous victory alive until the early afternoon, but his dismissal saw the Pears collapse from 131-4 to 155-7 as the visitors took control.

Gohar's controlled spell kept the pressure on the home side throughout, who were unable to hold on for a draw after a damaging period either side of tea.

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Eventually dismissing their opponents for 216, Middlesex's third win of the season propelled them above their opponents in a tightly-packed Division Two table.

Well and truly up against it at the start of day four, nightwatcher Ben Allison threw caution to the wind in a positive cameo early on.

Allison showed superb temperament, latching onto the short ball offered up by the Middlesex seam attack with some dismissive blows through midwicket, as he and partner Roderick registered their fifty stand on the stroke of midday.

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As Roderick continued with his patient knock, belief inside the Pears camp began to grow, as Allison brought up a crucial half-century from just 61 balls with a punch through the offside.

The momentum was firmly with the home side as the third-wicket partnership took them to within 250 runs of their target as Allison moved into the 60s and the visitors' bowlers struggled to find a foothold.

Ethan Bosch was the man who turned the fortunes for Middlesex, 15 minutes before lunch, when he ended Roderick's 104-ball resistance.

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Resuming after lunch on 135-3, the pressure of the chase soon told as the away side grabbed four wickets for just 24 runs to flip the contest on its head.

Gohar ripped through the middle-order in a clinical spell which brought him three wickets, starting with skipper Brett D'Oliveira for four when he edged to Tom Helm at first slip.

Allison's fine riposte ended moments later, 11 runs shy of a maiden first-class century, as the Middlesex spinner got one to sneak past an attempted paddle sweep that careered into leg-stump.

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Five balls later Sebastian Morgan angled one back at Matthew Waite, beating the batter all ends up as the ball flattened his middle stump, helping the visitors regain control, still ahead by more than 200 runs.

A seventh wicket - and third in the session for Gohar - felt decisive as Ethan Brookes' mistimed sweep shot gave Caleb Falconer a straightforward catch at square leg, reducing the hosts to 155-7.

Worcestershire debutant Henry Cullen showed excellent maturity on his second innings in first-class cricket, as he and Tom Taylor came together to try and salvage a draw for the Pears, steering their side through to tea at 191-7.

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Still trailing by 166 when the players re-emerged, Gohar completed a superb five-for when he took the edge and Helm took a sensational reaction catch at first slip to remove Cullen for a 90-ball-21.

The end was nigh when Beyers Swanepoel nicked off to Helm for Gohar's sixth, before the visitors crowned an excellent performance with the final wicket of Harry Darley, to secure victory.

Report by ECB Reporters' Network, supported by Rothesay.

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