David Warner on Yorkshire Cricket

England Under-19s captain Owais Shah completed a chanceless century against Yorkshire after Middlesex had resumed on 278 for four at Lord's today.

But Shah, 96 overnight, would have been out before he had added to his overnight score if Matthew Wood had hit the stumps running in from cover when the batsman attempted to scramper a quick single.

Shah reached his century by steering Paul Hutchison to third man for three after facing 264 balls and striking ten fours.

Shah, who will lead England Under-19s at Harrogate in a week's time in the first one-day international against Pakistan Under 19s, returned to the Middlesex side for this game after being dropped from the last match because of poor form.

With the white pitch expected to assist the slow bowlers, Yorkshire yesterday gave a championship debut to 21-year-old off-spinner James Middlebrook who performed tidily and claimed Middlesex's acting captain Keith Brown as his maiden dismissal.

Left-arm spinner Richard Stemp also bowled accurately to take two wickets in the morning session, but nothing could disturb Shah, who looked comfortable against pace and spin.

Matthew Hoggard, Middlebrook's team-mate with Pudsey Congs in the Bradford League, was made 12th man after being pulled out of the second team game at Blackpool on Tuesday when it was learned that Ryan Sidebottom had pulled a groin muscle.

Middlesex won the toss and Chris Silverwood took a wicket in the first over when David Goodchild was lbw to the fourth ball.

Australian left-hander Justin Langer, the country's leading scorer, quickly settled in and scored freely in a second wicket stand of 67 with Mike Gatting who fell in Stemp's first over when he took a stride down the pitch and was bowled.

Langer went on to give Paul Hutchison a pasting and after raising his 50 with a mid-wicket boundary he struck the next ball through the same area with the most aggressive stroke of the day.

Middlebrook's first ball in county cricket was smacked through the covers for four by Shah, but the youngster gave away only two further runs in his opening four over spell.

Stemp stopped Langer inflicting further damage by getting him lbw aiming to leg for 63 off 116 balls with nine fours and with Middlesex going in to lunch at 119 for three Yorkshire had shaded the morning session.

But Shah and Brown shifted the advantage in the afternoon, Brown playing particularly well through the covers, and they had put on 75 in 33 overs when Brown pushed firmly forward at Middlebrook for David Byas to take a good catch at slip.

Paul Weekes continued Middlesex's policy of batting with a minimum of risk and Yorkshire briefly brought Anthony McGrath and Darren Lehmann into the attack to try to make a breakthrough.

Yorkshire claimed the new ball as soon as it became available at 261 for four in 100 overs when Shah was 89 and Weekes 32 but Silverwood and Hutchison bowled only three overs each with it before it was considered too dark to continue, even though the light did not seem all that poor.

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