Middlesex may struggle to avoid follow-on

Having allowed Gloucestershire batsmen to gain the upper hand with some ordinary bowling, Middlesex, after losing two wickets with 70 on the board, spent the final session of the third day's play attempting to consolidate their innings but were reduced to 141 for four at stumps.

They began reasonably well, putting up 51 when the first wicket fell, Robin Weston top-edging his sweep behind the stumps in the second over from Martyn Ball, but 19 runs later the off spinner struck again, trapping Andy Strauss lbw on the back foot for 38.

Owais Shah and Ben Hutton batted patiently for an hour and a half to add 61 when a needless wild slog from Shah resulted in Ball taking a well judged catch, running back at mid-wicket.

Finally, in the last over of the day, Mark Alleyne had David Alleyne lbw, leaving Hutton with 29 not out and Middlesex with a lot to do.

Earlier, Gloucestershire were able to declare their first innings on a substantial total of 400 for three with the help of a dominating third-wicket stand, between Matt Windows and Ian Harvey, which was broken just seven short of a double century, half an hour after lunch.

This was yet another fine partnership in their innings, the first two yielding 88 and 82 runs on the first day before wet conditions at Lord's wiped out nearly a day and a half's play.

Showing fine batting form, as indeed he did on the first day when he remained not out with 52, Windows reached his second century of the Cricinfo Championship off 211 balls, 13 of which were hit to the boundary. His first hundred was also against Middlesex, in May, at Bristol where he scored 106 not out.

Having lost 148 overs owing to rain, Gloucestershire seemed more intent on building a large first innings total rather than opting for quick runs after resuming their innings on 198 for two.

Harvey, who was the more cautious of the two batsmen earlier in the morning session, went on the offensive after reaching his first Championship fifty this season. With powerful strokeplay, which brought him 12 boundaries and a six, he was at ease in facing the Middlesex bowling. Along with Windows, who had less of the strike in the period leading up to lunch, he piled on the runs.

Five overs into the second session's play, Middlesex got the breakthrough that they were urgently seeking. After nearly five hours at the crease, Windows' innings of 123, off 256 balls, came to an end with Strauss taking a brilliant left-handed diving catch at backward point off Angus Fraser.

Harvey, meanwhile, reached his hundred, the second fifty of which came rapidly from only 53 balls. At the declaration he was unbeaten on 130 having hit 16 boundaries and a six in a superb innings.