HAMPSHIRE closed the gap on second place but dropped to fourth in the Specsavers County Championship's first division during their tussle for bonus points on the final day at Uxbridge.

Some 14 wickets fell before rain and bad light returned just after 3.30pm, forcing the players to shake hands on a draw.

Middlesex, last year's champions, banked nine crucial points in their bid to avoid relegation, while Hampshire left with eight.

Hampshire coach Craig White said: “It was a tricky pitch with all the weather about and hard to bat on for both teams. It was always going to be tough for our depleted team to leave here with a draw, so to get out of it with eight points is a reasonable result for us.

“I felt their 204 was a fraction too many. We dropped Simpson when they were on 160-8, had we taken that chance we might have bowled them out for 170 to 180, which I felt was about par.

“Fidel was good for us. I thought this pitch wouldn’t suit him, but he found a way. The ball was swinging, so he pitched it up and took his first five-for for a couple of years. You couldn’t get the ball out of his hands and really tried hard for us.

“We had quite a few young lads out there batting against a near Test-match attack, so there were plenty of positives. Joe Weatherley looked fantastic. He’s got a few 30s for us and for Kent this season, so his next challenge is building on those good starts and converting them into bigger scores.”

The best part of 250 overs were lost over the four days to weather, so inclement that additional covers had to be ferried over from Merchant Taylors School. Then, to ensure some play went ahead on Thursday afternoon, the Middlesex squad including their managing director, Angus Fraser, helped cover the square to ensure some late afternoon action.

Responding to the modest Middlesex first innings all-out total of 204, Hampshire were skittled for 146 inside 32 overs to concede a first-innings lead of 58 runs.

Acting captain Jimmy Adams soon feathered a Tom Helm lifter to the keeper.

Despite looking sound and compact in reaching 35 from 37 balls, Joe Weatherley was squared up by a full-length Helm leg-cutter that flew to Adam Voges at second slip.

Ollie Rayner struck with his first delivery by having Tom Alsop caught behind Hampshire’s demise gathered momentum after the interval.

Steven Finn had Sean Ervine (0) and Calvin Dickinson (1) caught behind, while James Harris skittled Ian Holland (23) and debutant Felix Organ (16) with near identical full-length swinging deliveries.

Harris deflected a fierce drive by Gareth Berg onto the stumps at the non-striker’s end to run out Kyle Abbott for 13.

Finn rushed one past Berg’s back-foot defensive shot to pluck out off stump before pegging back middle when Fidel Edwards missed an airy drive as Hampshire succumbed in two-and-a-half hours.

Earlier, Edwards finished with 5-79, his first five-fer since the 2015 Great Escape, as Middlesex, having started the day on 162-7. were skittled for 204.

Hampshire welcome champions Essex to the Ageas Bowl on Tuesday, when they will try and close the 18-point gap on second-placed Lancashire.

They are a point behind third-placed Surrey, who drew with Yorkshire at The Oval.

SCORECARD 

Middlesex innings
SD Robson c Adams b Holland 28 
NRD Compton b Edwards 16 
SS Eskinazi c Alsop b Edwards 13 
AC Voges c Adams b Edwards 27 
MDE Holden c Adams b Holland 35 
+JA Simpson b Edwards 36 
*JEC Franklin b Abbott 0 
JAR Harris lbw b Abbott 0 
OP Rayner c Crane b Abbott 9 
TG Helm lbw b Edwards 18 
ST Finn not out 9 
Extras (4 b, 11 lb, 14 nb, 1 w)30
Total (72 overs) 204

Fall of wickets: 1-40 (Compton, 17.5 ov), 2-58 (Robson, 20.5 ov), 3-62 (Eskinazi, 23.2 ov), 4-120 (Voges, 45.4 ov), 5-138 (Holden, 52.3 ov), 6-148 (Franklin, 54.2 ov), 7-154 (Harris, 56.4 ov), 8-168 (Rayner, 62.5 ov), 9-169 (Helm, 65.4 ov), 10-204 (Simpson, 72 ov)

Hampshire bowling: Edwards 26-5-79-5, Abbott 18-8-25-3, Berg 12-2-36-0, Holland 14-6-31-2, Crane 2-0-18-0. 


Hampshire first innings
JJ Weatherley c Voges b Helm 35
JHK Adams c Simpson b Helm 2
TP Alsop c Simpson b Rayner 9 
SM Ervine c Simpson b Finn 0 
FS Organ b Harris 16 
IG Holland b Harris 23 
CM Dickinson c Simpson b Finn 1 
GK Berg b Helm 22 
KJ Abbott run out (Harris)13
MS Crane not out 9 
FH Edwards b Finn 3 
Extras(4 b, 5 lb, 4 nb)13
Total (6.1 overs) 146

Fall of wickets: 1-15 (Adams, 2.3 ov), 2-46 (Weatherley, 10.6 ov), 3-46 (Alsop, 13.1 ov), 4-46 (Ervine, 14.3 ov), 5-89 (Holland, 23.1 ov), 6-92 (Dickinson, 24.1 ov), 7-96 (Organ, 25.4 ov), 8-127 (Abbott, 31.2 ov), 9-132 (Berg, 32.2 ov), 10-146 (Edwards, 36.1 ov)

Middlesex bowling: Helm 11-1-43-3, Finn 10.1-1-41-3, Harris 10-3-27-2, Rayner 5-1-26-1  

Middlesex second innings
NRD Compton not out 11 
SD Robson c Adams b Berg 0 
SS Eskinazi not out 3 
Extras 0
Total (1 wicket, 9 overs)14

Fall of wickets: 1-9 (Robson, 4.4 ov)

Hampshire bowling: Berg 5-3-9-1, Abbott 4-2-5-0