The whole morning session was lost to the elements. With confirmed rabbit Corey Collymore to face the first delivery of the day, it was slightly surprising that Sussex chose to bat on. “We wanted to try to bat them out of it,” said centurion Luke Wright. “It’s always nice to get a hundred. They [Ed Joyce and Murray Goodwin] set it up for us.”

A stop-start theme soon developed. Rain interrupted briefly, but in the seven overs remaining Wright and Collymore added another 39 runs. Their stand of 78 for the last wicket was one of the best at Uxbridge. Collymore even hit a boundary, finishing unbeaten on 12. Wright continued to ride his luck as he chased quick runs. Toby Roland-Jones conceded his first six of the innings as he went for an even hundred from 28 overs.

Wright perished as he had thrived going for runs. A clout over long-on just cleared Eoin Morgan to go for 6 and four more boundaries took him to 134. He fell attempting to cut Finn and a top edge gave John Simpson an easy catch.

“We were a bit disappointed, as we had them at 270 for 7,” Roland-Jones told us. “They, [the tail enders] did very well,” said Wright. They stayed with him while Wright chased runs. “It’s nice to have got a hundred in front of the England captain,” Wright said, hoping that his knock might give national selectors a timely reminder that he is more than just a limited overs specialist.

Meanwhile, Roland-Jones was satisfied with his efforts and the support given to him by Middlesex. The young medium-pacer was the pick of their bowlers “I wasn’t disappointed, it’s only my second first class match.” he said regarding missing out on his first five-wicket haul, so what about the opportunity to take a hat-trick. “I was happy to be in the position to try for it. Uxbridge isn’t the same as Lord’s, but we do what we can.”

The weather might have prevented a result, yet there was still time for Strauss to fail, trapped leg before wicket for 8 by Collymore. Meanwhile, Simpson rode his luck. On 8 he slashed Collymore just out of reach of the diving Michael Thornley at gully and collected a boundary and then survived a torrid spell from Luke Hatchett in his first championship match. He looked genuinely quick.

Simpson survived a confident lbw shout before slashing Hatchett past Thornley again. Owais Shah was circumspect at first, getting off the mark with a crisp off-drive for four off Collymore. He later repeated the dose. His running between the wickets gave Monty Panesar a chance to demonstrate his fielding prowess, but Simpson was safe. Another near miss was punctuated by fluent driving skills that pierced the field and Shah victimised spinner Ollie Rayner by clouting him for six. Shah was eventually out for 38, caught behind off his gloves by Matt Prior. Wright was the successful bowler.

“I’m definitely an all-rounder,” he told us. “I have taken five fors [five wickets in an innings].” His batting spoke for itself. Meanwhile, Simpson had reached his half-century from 86 balls with eight fours. The partnership was 82. Nine more runs were added before the weather intervened for the last time insisting that play halted through, thunder, lightening and a torrential power. Middlesex resume on 127 for 2 with Dawid Malan unbeaten on 8 and Simpson 58 not out, weather permitting.