Date-stamped : 22 Sep97 - 06:22 Middlesex frustrated by Cowan and Ilott By Charles Randall at Chelmsford First day of four: Middlesex (30-1) trail Essex (271) by 241 runs WHATEVER worries Ashley Cowan had about his sore shoulder would have been tempered for just over two hours by some glory with the bat at Chelmsford yesterday. An England pick for the West Indies as a learner seamer, he produced a fine innings of 77 against Middlesex, which cheekily included a six apiece off Angus Fraser and Phil Tufnell, his future senior tour colleagues. Cowan hurried away during the final session yesterday to see a specialist about his injury having made his first fifty at this level. He has time in his career to climb Essex`s batting order and perhaps even gain official promotion to the rank of all-rounder. This might sound unlikely, as the tall Cowan can look ungainly at the crease, but he has a respectable range of stroke and, statis- tically, he has overtaken Danny Law as Essex`s supposed seamer all- rounder. Law arrived from Sussex with a high reputation. Yesterday, batting at seven, he ran himself out for 34 to bring his champi- onship ag- gregate to 385, raising his season`s average to a still abysmal 14.8. Cowan took his aggregate to 446 in one fewer innings than Law at a much healthier average. Both players are aged 22, and Cowan`s bowling is undeniably superior. The puzzle over Law`s moderate contribution to Essex`s season is matched by the suffering of Paul Weekes, of Middlesex. As a regular opener the England A left-hander yesterday failed to make his first championship fifty of the summer, his season`s work at the crease producing only 263 runs in 19 innings. Essex`s innings hit the rocks before Cowan joined Mark Ilott at the crease, and the pair put on 113 for the ninth wicket in 32 overs, two hours of sheer frustration for their fifth-placed opponents. The morning started badly for Essex, who lost the toss and found the ball moving around bewilderingly at times. Though Paul Prichard pulled the day`s first ball vividly for four, fresh air strokeplay and snicks became much in evidence. If Stuart Law, who made 63, had not been dropped early on at mid-off by James Hewitt, completely misjudging a gentle catch, Cowan might well have been required before lunch. Tim Bloomfield, the former Berkshire fast bowler, managed to impress, especially when he plucked out Ronnie Irani`s middle stump, swinging the ball in from leg and smashed out Paul Grayson`s off-stump through no stroke four balls later. Bloomfield returned to rid Middlesex of Ilott, having him caught neatly by Mike Gatting at the only slip. His first five- wicket return for Middlesex was secured when Cowan steered an easy catch in- to the covers. Gatting seems certain to continue for another season as a player and Middlesex have lined up John Buchanan, from Queens- land, to re- place Don Bennett as coach for next year on his re- tirement, with Gatting presumably taking up the permanent ap- pointment later. Cowan`s fifty arrived in 63 balls and contained a few poten- tial catches that dropped into untenanted space, but there were some notable strokes mixed in and Middlesex were left wondering where all Essex`s runs had come from. Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/) Shah`s 37 stops the rot for Middlesex By Charles Randall at Chelmsford Second day of four: Middle-sex (174-6) trail Essex (271) by 97 runs MIDDLESEX`S chances of finishing the season in third place shrank on a day dominated by the ball in responsive conditions. Any bowler Paul Prichard cared to nominate seemed to tie up Mid- dlesex`s batsmen, and only Owais Shah and David Nash, the two youngest players, lingered long enough to raise hopes of even one batting point. Middlesex had hoped to include Richard Kettleborough, the left-hand batsman signed from Yorkshire, but the England Cricket Board denied them permission. After a morning lost to rain, Mark Ramprakash was caught bat- pad off the day`s fourth ball. Snicks and squirted shots prolif- erated after that. Mike Gatting reached 14, courtesy of three snicked boundaries off different bowlers, before a Mark Ilott inswinger bowled him through a desperate drive. Richard Johnson`s uneasy stay as nightwatchman was ended by a thin-edge off Ashley Cowan, who had driven him for six when their roles were reversed on Thursday. Angus Fraser was not the six victim, as stated yesterday. Shah was deceived and bowled driving at Peter Such`s off-spin, but Nash and James Hewitt began to flourish when the gloomy light prevented Prichard using his seam attack. Shah, 18, showed flashes of his renowned brilliance in his 37, though he had an escape when Such was slow to reach a miscued drive at mid-off. Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/) Notable firsts for Nash and captain By Charles Randall Essex v Middlesex DAVID NASH, a surprise choice for the England A tour to Kenya and Sri Lanka this winter at the age of 19, completed his maiden first class hundred for Middlesex at Chelmsford yesterday. Though his innings was unmemorable for those not closely in- volved, it was good to see a young batsman reach this landmark in a cham- pionship game rather than against sub-standard bowling at Cambridge or Oxford universities, as so often happens. Essex finished the day with a 135-run lead, thanks to an un- broken partnership between Nasser Hussain, with 85, and Darren Robin- son, 73, who dealt with Middlesex`s attack comfortably in the evening. An interesting final day beckons if the two teams feel in the mood. Mark Ramprakash, Middlesex`s captain, did not arrive at the ground yesterday owing to the imminent birth of his first child and it was left to Nash and James Hewitt, continuing their overnight seventh-wicket partnership, to take their stand to 169 and give Middlesex a modest first-innings lead. The match has had an end-of-season feel to it. The extreme end of the emotions lay elsewhere yesterday at Taunton or Canterbury, where the title was at stake. Light-hearted play-acting had become evident in the field at Chelmsford and yesterday Mark Ilott bowled to Hewitt with only one fielder on the leg side, at long leg, and all the others be- hind square on the off side. Hewitt, though, had the last laugh with a nudged single through the cordon. Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/) Mark Ramprakash, Middlesex`s captain, appeared for a 12-minute innings during the meandering draw against Essex at Chelmsford before returning home to London, having missed the whole of the third day`s play to attend the possible birth of his first child, which was not as imminent as first thought. It was difficult to believe that Middlesex could have finished third, because victory seemed the last thing on their minds when Kei- th Brown allowed the innings to drift on Saturday after David Nash had made his maiden first-class hundred. Essex consequently made no attempt at hurrying as Darren Robinson and Nasser Hussain compiled leisurely hundreds on a docile pitch. A target of 267 in 50 overs did not interest Mid- dlesex for long. Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/) Contributed by The Management (help@cricinfo.com)