Boyce stars for Leicestershire

Matthew Boyce registered a solid half-century for Leics

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Matthew Boyce led the fightback for Leicestershire as they closed on 184 for three in reply to Middlesex’s 367 all out on the second day of the LV County Championship Division Two match at Lord’s.

Twenty-three-year-old Boyce made 63 in an opening stand of 94 with Greg Smith before the latter was caught at slip by Andrew Strauss.

Paul Nixon, batting up the order, made 37 as he put on 75 with HD Ackerman for the third wicket, but Leicestershire still have much work to do going into the third day.

Nixon was eventually dismissed when Shaun Udal got one to turn and bounce and have him caught behind.

Boyce hit eight fours in his third half-century of the campaign and also passed 500 runs for the season before becoming Murali Kartik’s second victim when he was leg before to a ball that kept low.

Nixon has recently promoted himself to number three and had a life when, having scored five, he edged Alan Richardson through the slips.

Nixon hit four boundaries as Leicestershire worked their way towards their first target of avoiding the follow-on.

Nineteen-year-old Steven Finn, under-used by Middlesex at the start of the innings, was the only bowler to give him or Ackerman trouble until Udal returned, bowling a lively spell on a docile pitch.

Ackerman (33 not out) played within himself against the pace and Middlesex turned to Udal’s spin and he nipped out Nixon near the close.

Leicestershire wrapped up the Middlesex innings just before lunch with Garnett Kruger and Claude Henderson sharing eight wickets.

Kruger, who had bowled an impressive spell with the second new ball last night, snared Kartik leg before to finish with 4-95.

Henderson, meanwhile, who bowled a marathon spell on day one, removed Ben Scott and Alan Richardson to give him 4-85.

Scott made 58 off 142 balls with four fours and a pulled six over square-leg and Tim Murtagh weighed in with 25 in a seventh-wicket stand of 34. Richardson contributed a potentially valuable 26.

Middlesex took the unusual step of opening the bowling with their two spinners, Udal and Kartik, to squeeze two overs in before the lunch break, but they could not make inroads and normal service was resumed with the quicks following the interval.