COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP DIVISION TWO, Southgate
Middlesex v Leicestershire
28 April-1 May
FINAL DAY: Match Drawn. Middlesex 493-7dec, Leicestershire 258 and 400-7(Middx 11 pts, Leics 8pts)

Taylor's innings lasted almost 300 minutes and included 11 fours

Leicestershire teenager James Taylor hit a maiden first-class century to save his side from defeat on the final day against Middlesex at Southgate.

Coming in at seven with the score on 205-5, and still needing another 30 runs to make Middlesex bat again, Taylor hit an unbeaten 122.

Chiefly in a 92-run sixth-wicket stand with skipper Paul Nixon (31), it helped Leicester save the game on 400-7.

Tim Murtagh took with 5-83 as Middlesex settled for a second successive draw.

But this was truly former England Under-19 batsman Taylor's day.

The diminutive Taylor, who started his career on the staff at Worcester, and has also played for Shropshire, played a monumental innings of almost 300 minutes.

The former Shrewsbury School starlet went to the wicket with his side still deep in trouble but came off at the end with a deserved first century to mark only his seventh first-class game.

Going into the final day on 177-2 and still 58 in arrears, the visitors looked destined for defeat once Middlesex seamer Murtagh had bagged three for one in eight deliveries in the morning session.

Boeta Dippenaar was only seven short of his first hundred when, in aiming slightly across the line, he went leg before.

JAMES TAYLOR Born Nottingham, 6/1/1990 At only five foot five, is one of the shortest players in first-class cricket Wisden's schools cricketer of the year for 2008

Next ball up Joshua Cobb was trapped in his crease to also go lbw. And, in Murtagh's next over, HD Ackerman (60) had his middle stump plucked out when aiming an ambitious drive.

That brought Taylor to the crease an hour before lunch. But, in tandem with his veteran skipper Nixon, Taylor set out his stall to bat out the rest of the day.

And a dogged sixth-wicket stand of 108 in 45 overs helped them do just that.

Nixon was prepared to drop anchor and play second fiddle to the youngster, indeed the left-hander only contributed 31 to the partnership during his crucial 215-minute stay.

Nixon's backs-to-the-wall knock ended when, in a lunge at leg-spinner Dawid Malan, he edged to substitute keeper John Simpson - one of five Middlesex players to have donned the gloves in this match after Ben Scott, Eoin Morgan, David Nash and Neil Dexter.

Taylor then clipped a nicely-timed on-drive off Shaun Udal past a despairing mid-on to post his ninth four, that maiden first-class hundred and a handshake from Udal.

And, although Wayne White went caught behind for 19, at 5pm Udal was shaking Taylor's hand again to congratulate him on his part in forcing the draw.

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