From the moment Toby Roland-Jones uprooted the leg stump of Ryan Sidebottom it was impossible to wipe the smile off the faces of any Middlesex fan or player.
More than 20 years have passed since the county last won the title and the manner in which they sealed this famous victory will be an occasion long etched into the memories of those who witnessed it.
Middlesex remained unbeaten in the County Championship all season, and on a home surface that made bowling teams out twice in four days tricky, their achievement can be considered even more impressive.
Led by James Franklin, the New Zealander struggled to express his gratitude for the squad: “These boys are awesome; I can’t say enough. To get through 16 gruelling rounds of cricket and be champions is testament to the skill we have in this squad.
“Not every game goes your way, but you have to find a way to get over the line after 16 rounds of cricket, it’s just awesome.”
A title winning campaign is built on the back of special moments, one of which was John Simpson sealing a monumental victory at Somerset with a six.
But the wicket-keeper was quick to pay tribute to the bowling attack that he has kept to all season: “They’re tremendous. Tim Murtagh is as good a new ball bowler as you will get in the country. Back that up with Toby Roland-Jones who has been phenomenal all season and has taken 50 wickets across the campaign.
This is how much winning the Championship means to @Middlesex_CCC and their fans https://t.co/efFI9lLObW
— County Championship (@CountyChamp) September 24, 2016
“Then we’ve got Steve Finn, which is testament to the strength and depth we have. Ollie Rayner has also had a fantastic year and our captain, Franklin, who has propped that attack up.”
Over 20,000 people turned out at the Lord’s over the final four days of the season to witness the title decider. Something that match-winner Roland-Jones can’t believe: “As far as the Yorkshire support goes that is unreal. They dominated most of the game, and it was only late on, when we found ourselves in the mix, did it turn our way.
“It’s great to have so many people come out and support us, and when things got tough at the end they really pulled us through.”
TROPHY SHOT! Middlesex lift the trophy after winning the County Championship for the first time since 1993 https://t.co/JfG3RvaQxF
— County Championship (@CountyChamp) September 23, 2016
Fittingly, the title decider at the Home of Cricket was the thriller the season deserved, with both teams settling for nothing less than a win.
While Roland-Jones is rightly collecting the plaudits, praise must also be reserved to Nick Gubbins who scored over 1,400 Championship runs across the season, including over 200 in the final match.
Speaking after the game, he revealed his mindset batting during the last game: “It’s not tough to stay in as it is quite slow, but it is tough to score runs. You just have to have your game plans and hang in there, but stay nice and positive, obviously you need luck in cricket and I rode mine in this game.
“In the end we set them a total they thought they could chase down, and all credit to them they tried to, they played the game.”
This is the moment @tobyrj21 will never forget - when he bowled @RyanSidebottom to win the title for @Middlesex_CCC! https://t.co/uXy4iNJOuE
— County Championship (@CountyChamp) September 23, 2016
At one stage on the third day, and with Yorkshire dramatically inching to the total of 350 which secured them a final batting point, it looked as if the game could potentially fizzle out.
At one stage on the third day, and with Yorkshire dramatically inching to the total of 350 that secured them a final batting point, it looked as if the game could potentially fizzle out.
Middlesex’s spin bowler, Rayner, was tasked with bowling after a downpour that sent the players off with the score on 349: “I enjoyed it! It added to it and I had a bit of a giggle because I was bowling the first over after the delay.
“It made a game of it though and I think we put on a show. It’s been a great turn out this week, it’s been unbelievable.”