Ryan Higgins’ Record Breaking 200 Highlights Glamorgan vs Middlesex High-Scoring Draw

Ryan Higgins, an all-rounder from Middlesex, scored his highest first-class score of 221 as his team’s Vitality County Championship opener at Lord’s against Glamorgan ended in a tie.

Higgins’ magnificent innings, which featured two sixes and 21 fours, was his maiden double-hundred. It also featured a partnership of 114 wickets with Tom Helm, who also scored a career-best 64.

With Craig Miles and Colin Ingram taking two wickets apiece, and Glamorgan offspinner Kiran Carlson getting three for 147, Middlesex amassed their second-highest score in history with 655. However, on a batting-friendly pitch where just 15 wickets fell over four days and Glamorgan reached 31 for 2 in their second innings before the captains shook hands, a sharing of the spoils had always appeared all but assured.

A happy outcome appeared unlikely at first, as Middlesex needed just 11 points at the beginning of play to eliminate the follow-on, and the visitors promptly opened the proceedings with soft spin from both ends.

Taking an easy return catch to remove Josh De Caires for 20, Ingram claimed a wicket in the seventh over of the day. Toby Roland-Jones scored the same before being caught behind swishing at Jamie McIlroy.

That was at least some compensation for the Glamorgan left-arm bowler, who was pushed around by visiting skipper Sam Northeast and bowled steadily on a surface that offered no help to any of the frontline seamers, medium-pacers, or spinners.

Higgins, meantime, reached 150 when he guided Mir Hamza for an all-run four to third man. The only thing left to consider was if the Seaxes’ tail could sustain their team-mate long enough for him to attempt a double-century.

Just before lunch, Henry Brookes went out, chipping Miles into the hands of the midwicket, but Helm stayed put and produced some impressive shots, such as a straight drive boundary from Zain-ul-Hassan. On his way to his fourth first-class half-century, Helm also hit Ingram over mid-on for six. Later, the same bowler was hit for a century off 350 balls as Higgins reached 200, guiding him off the back foot to the midwicket boundary.

After reaching that milestone, Carlson ended his long stay at the crease by luring the double-centurion out of his ground so Chris Cooke could remove the bails. Higgins then hammered another six to lift the hundred partnership.

At the stroke of tea, Helm became the third victim of the keeper, picked up off a bottom edge to end an innings that had lasted 211 overs and two balls.

After the break, there was still time for the unfortunate Zain, who had been cheaply dismissed off Ethan Bamber in the first half-hour of the first day, to be removed in the same manner for just two runs, before Leus du Plooy took his first wicket for Middlesex in the game’s final over when Billy Root was caught at slip.