Middlesex bowlers give victory chance

Middlesex will require 91 runs to beat Derbyshire when they start the second innings of their County Championship match at Lord's after finally dismissing their visitors for 243.

Middlesex's one remaining wicket fell to the day's 12th ball when Steven Finn's pull was magnificently caught by Ross Whiteley diving full length to his right at square leg, to give Jon Clare final figures of four for 69. A first-innings deficit of 153 soon looked even more daunting for Derbyshire when, batting for a second time, they found themselves at 20 for three after seven overs.

Another failure for Wayne Madsen, with four ducks in his previous six championship innings, came in the opening over as Tim Murtagh, bowling full outswing, removed him lbw. His struggling opening partner, Martin Guptill, followed seven balls later after losing his off stump to a shooter from Finn.

Murtagh struck again to make it four wickets in the morning's opening 45 minutes when Wes Durston, driving lavishly, sliced to second slip where Jamie Dalrymple held a fine low catch.

Greg Smith, the South African all-rounder, led the way in a fourth-wicket stand that had added 78 in 22 overs, with Smith bounding to 45 from only 58 balls, until he attempted one assault too many on his namesake, Tom Smith, soon after lunch to be caught at long off by Dawid Malan.

With Dalrymple joining the attack, the slow men were principally responsible for only 41 grudging runs coming in the afternoon's first 22 overs. Along the way, a stifled Chesney Hughes was also undone, attempting to dab Dalrymple's arm ball towards third man only to chop onto his wicket. At 118 for five, an innings defeat remained possible until Derbyshire's captain Luke Sutton joined Whiteley, who was dropped off Finn on 28, and the pair inched to a four-run lead by tea.

They were separated 20 minutes into the evening session in Murtagh's belated second spell when Whiteley, pushing defensively forward, edged to Dalrymple at slip who took it at the second attempt. With Whiteley gone for 41, Derbyshire were effectively 16 for six. But the tail mustered a further 74 runs before the final wicket fell to bring an early close.

Sutton battled to 27 and Clare made a more belligerent 37 until both went in three balls from Dalrymple. Tony Palladino and Mark Turner, both caught off Finn, could not quite see out the day.