Highest first-class score at Lord’s

In the first game of the county season, Glamorgan were put into bat by Middlesex after losing the toss. Opener Zain-ul-Hassan was dismissed in the seventh over, bringing the 34-year-old Northeast to the crease. As it turned out, only two more wickets fell in the next 132 overs of Glamorgan’s innings as they racked up 620 runs, 335 of which came off Northeast’s bat.

This was the sixth triple-century in the history of first-class cricket at Lord’s, and the highest individual score among them. Northeast broke Graham Gooch’s long-standing record score of 333, scored in a Test match against India in 1990.

He reached the landmark in what ended up being the last over of the Glamorgan innings, and he declared two balls later. He tucked a back-of-length ball from Henry Brookes around the corner for a single as his teammates stood up to applaud the achievement in the famous Lord’s balcony. The knock included 36 fours and six sixes.

The moment Sam Northeast broke a Lord's record

This single took him past Graham Gooch's 333, to give him the highest individual score in a first-class match at Lord's pic.twitter.com/WMyORh7ghL

— Vitality County Championship (@CountyChamp) April 6, 2024

Northeast joins an elite list

Two years back, Northeast scored a quadruple century against Leicestershire, becoming the ninth-batter in the history of first-class cricket to do so. That was, and still is, the highest individual score by a Glamorgan batter.

Yesterday (April 6), he followed it up with a triple ton, becoming just the sixth batter to have a quadruple as well as a triple century to their name in first-class cricket history. 

The list of batters to have done so before him include some of the greatest names to have graced the game: Brian Lara, Don Bradman, Hanif Mohammad, Bill Ponsford, and Graeme Hick.

Northeast now has the two highest individual scores by Glamorgan batters ever. Day two of the clash ended with Middlesex 138-1, going strong in their response.