County Championship: Mark Stoneman hits century against Derbyshire

Middlesex are on track for the win they need to keep their County Championship promotion challenge alive going into the final week of the season after maintaining their dominance over bottom-of-the-table Derbyshire.

Having bowled Derbyshire out for 173 on Tuesday, Middlesex replied with 358, opener Mark Stoneman making a superb 115, Josh De Caires matching his career-best 80 and Max Holden posting 68.

Fast bowling prospect Harry Moore, 17, impressed with 3-73 in only his second first-class match for Derbyshire.

Needing 186 to make Middlesex bat again, Derbyshire lost two wickets in the first five overs of their second innings and another from the last ball of the day to close on 74-3.

A win here would be worth 22 points to Middlesex, who started the week 15 points behind second-placed Yorkshire.

However, after last week’s defeat by Gloucestershire at Lord’s took matters out of their own hands, they need other results to go their way, while their own campaign ends with an away fixture against Division Two leaders Sussex.

Middlesex banked maximum bowling bonus points on day one and had looked well placed at 125-1 overnight to push for a full set of batting points.

That they were able to take only three of the five on offer was largely down to a morning session that saw Derbyshire’s spinners claim four wickets.

From 162-1, four wickets fell for 45. Holden was first to depart, bowled behind his legs by left-arm spinner Jack Morley, who would finish with 3-76.

Leus Du Plooy was struck in front on 11 by off-spinner Alex Thomson, who then bowled Ryan Higgins for four.

David Lloyd then had Jack Davies edged to second slip for nine and another sharply turning ball from Morley ultimately did for the magnificent Stoneman before De Caires and Luke Hollman mounted a counter-attack.

The pair added 74 before Moore beat Hollman for pace and followed up by havingToby Roland-Jones caught off a top-edged hook.

He picked up his third when Ethan Bamber edged to wicketkeeper Brooke Guest before De Caires was leg before to Morley attempting a reverse hit.

Roland-Jones quickly had Derbyshire in trouble at 16 for two after Harry Came and Guest were trapped lbw.

Wayne Madsen and Mitch Wagstaff added 42 in four overs before Hollman’s leg-spin ended their partnership with what became the last ball of the day, having Wagstaff caught behind.