Finn insists he's not leaving Lord's

Sep 3 2009 Uxbridge Gazette

MIDDLESEX'S Steven Finn says he's not for sale in cricket's equivalent of the football transfer window.

It's the time of year when cricketers' minds turn to where they are going to play in 2010, and county chiefs put in 28-day approaches in a bid to land their prize target.

And the Panthers' quick bowler is likely to be on lots of shopping lists.

Finn's 48 wickets prior to the start of this week's match with Northants make him the standout success of another tough season.

But before anyone starts getting their chequebook out, the 20-year-old insists he's staying at Lord's.

"I've got another year on my con-tract here and I'm fully committed to being a Middlesex player," he said. "You can't beat playing at Lord's and taking wickets at Lord's so, as far as I'm concerned, I just love playing my cricket for Middlesex. I'm just having fun at the moment."

Finn has been a revelation this summer, shouldering the new-ball workload while injuries laid aside the likes of older stalwarts Alan Richardson, Chris Silverwood and Tim Murtagh.

Murtagh has since returned to the fray and the two have formed a potent new-ball pairing.

But there's just one thing which irks the younger bowler.

"I have been counting my wickets but I've been beaten by Murtagh to 50, so I'm a bit gutted about that," he admitted. "We were having a little bit of a competition but he seems to have easily done for me.

"He's a bit out of order beating me to 50 after missing seven weeks of the season, but he only missed two Championship games, so I'm holding him to that.

"But, at the beginning of the season, if someone had said to me I'd have 48 wickets by the end of August, I'd have taken that.

"I've had a bit more opportunity this year having played pretty much every game. It's been nice to be a permanent fixture in the team."

With Murtagh taking seven wickets and Finn four, Middlesex beat Gloucester by 180 runs to move off the bottom of Division Two. But it was all-rounder Gareth's Berg's five-wicket haul which clinched victory on the final day.

The one sour note was young batsman Sam Robson suffering a chipped elbow, ending his season.