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Toby Roland-Jones makes five-star comeback to end Derbyshire resistance

Toby Roland-Jones last played for Middlesex during the 2019 season Getty Images

Middlesex 282 and 256 (Robson 52) beat Derbyshire 205 (Bamber 5-41) and 221 (Godleman 70, Critchley 58, Roland-Jones 5-36) by 112 runs

Seamer Toby Roland-Jones marked his return from injury with a decisive five-wicket haul as Middlesex finally broke Derbyshire's resistance to triumph by 112 runs at Lord's.

Roland-Jones, making his first appearance after a four-month absence due to knee surgery, delivered a spell of three wickets in 10 balls that included the scalp of Derbyshire captain Billy Godleman and finished with figures of 5 for 36.

Godleman had managed to keep the visitors in the hunt for a 334 victory target with his innings of 70, his best of the season, after two early wickets fell to opposite number Tim Murtagh.

Matt Critchley's knock of 58 also proved to be in vain as Derbyshire were dismissed for 221, leaving them as the only side still without a win in the LV= Insurance County Championship this season.

Murtagh gave Middlesex an immediate lift with his first ball of the morning, pinning Tom Wood in front of the stumps and he added the wicket of Leus du Plooy soon afterwards.

The left-hander, who had just swung Murtagh to the midwicket boundary, attempted to repeat the shot to a ball outside off stump and dragged on to leave Derbyshire in difficulties at 60 for 3.

However, Critchley proved harder for Middlesex to shift, with Martin Andersson dispatched for a couple of crisp fours as he and Godleman put together a partnership of 80 either side of lunch.

The fourth-wicket pair succeeded in bringing Derbyshire's target below 200 - but the turning point came when Godleman pulled Roland-Jones towards long leg and Andersson ran in to hold a perfectly-judged diving catch.

Critchley might have followed his captain later in the same over, miscuing the ball high behind square only for it to land between three fielders, but Derbyshire were soon six down as Roland-Jones removed Alex Hughes and Brooke Guest in successive deliveries.

Anuj Dal - who had hit a valuable 48 in the first innings - produced some attacking shots to reach 19 before he was unluckily run out at the non-striker's end, with Andersson deflecting Critchley's drive onto the stumps.

That appeared to unsettle Critchley, who attempted a careless pull shot off Andersson just two balls later and sliced into the hands of second slip.

It was left to Roland-Jones to wrap up Middlesex's success and he did exactly that, having Sam Conners caught at short midwicket before knocking out Alex Thomson's off stump.

Derbyshire 4th innings Partnerships

WktRunsPlayers
1st0BA GodlemanLM Reece
2nd42BA GodlemanTA Wood
3rd18BA GodlemanJL du Plooy
4th80BA GodlemanMJJ Critchley
5th7AL HughesMJJ Critchley
6th0MJJ CritchleyBD Guest
7th38AK DalMJJ Critchley
8th0AT ThomsonMJJ Critchley
9th13AT ThomsonS Conners
10th23AT ThomsonBW Aitchison

County Championship

Division 1
TeamMWLDPT
NOTTS431068
LANCS421157
WARKS421156
HANTS421153
YORKS412140
SOM404014
Division 2
TeamMWLDPT
ESSEX430177
GLOUC431064
DURH311140
NHNTS412138
SUR301227
GLAM403123
Division 3
TeamMWLDPT
KENT440083
MIDDX431067
WORCS422049
LEICS412143
DERBS412142
SUSS404018
Group 1
TeamMWLDPT
NOTTS10424151
WARKS10415145
DURH10325132
ESSEX10325129
WORCS10136109
DERBS1005572
Group 2
TeamMWLDPT
SOM10415148
HANTS10424145
GLOUC10532131
SUR10226123
LEICS10244111
MIDDX1027184
Group 3
TeamMWLDPT
LANCS10415150
YORKS10514149
GLAM10226127
NHNTS10334123
KENT1003797
SUSS1015494