Middlesex v Nottinghamshire at Lord’s – day four - lunch

Nottinghamshire 298 and 401-8 dec. Middlesex 181 and 132-2

Nick Gubbins and Nick Compton defied Nottinghamshire until the last over before lunch with a second wicket partnership of 132 as Middlesex battled to salvage a draw after being outplayed for three days at Lord’s.

A victory target of 519 was out of the question but Gubbins, the 21-year-old left hander, and Compton, playing his first championship match since returning to Middlesex from Somerset, were in no mood to surrender when they resumed on 57 for one.

There was nothing in the pitch for the five Nottinghamshire seamers – Vernon Philander, Jake Ball, Harry Gurney, Steve Mullaney and Will Gidman – or the left arm spinner Samit Patel and Gubbins and Compton concentrated solely on survival.

At one stage, Compton went 10 overs without scoring a run before reaching his fifty off 140 balls with six fours and Gubbins had faced 159 balls for his 37 when Patel had him caught at short leg two balls before the break.