Middlesex win County Championship crown beating Yorkshire at Lord's

The most thrilling climax to a domestic season in memory ended in the most extraordinary way when Toby Roland-Jones took a hat-trick at Lord’s to propel Middlesex to their first County Championship in 23 years.

Middlesex declared their second innings closed on 359 for six

Defending champions Yorkshire had to chase down 240 in 40 overs 

They slumped from  153 for four to 178 all out to lose by 62 runs

Toby Roland-Jones completed the Middlesex victory with a hat-trick 

A barely believable finale saw Middlesex snatch the trophy by defeating Yorkshire, who needed victory themselves to clinch their third successive title, when Roland-Jones ended a pulsating contest in style.

 

And it left the perennial bridesmaids Somerset, who needed a draw at Lord’s to earn the first title in their 140-year history, watching on helplessly at Taunton as their hopes disappeared in a flurry of Yorkshire wickets.