Middlesex v Warwickshire: Hosts shade day one as 20 wickets fall
- From the section Counties
| Specsavers County Championship Division One, Lord's (day one): |
| Warwickshire 126 and 12-0: Patel 24; Finn 4-53; Murtagh 3-20 |
| Middlesex 161: Franklin 55; Sidebottom 4-29 |
| Middlesex 3 pts, Warwickshire 3 pts |
| Middlesex lead Warwickshire by 23 runs |
| Scorecard |
Middlesex edged into a first-innings lead against Warwickshire as 20 wickets fell on day one at Lord's.
Steven Finn took season's-best figures of 4-53 as the Bears were all out for just 126 in less than two sessions.
But the hosts also struggled with the bat, making 161 all out, with Australian fast bowler Ryan Sidebottom taking 4-29 on his Championship debut.
Skipper James Franklin (55) helped the hosts into a 35-run first-innings lead before Warwickshire closed on 12-0.
Division One's bottom side Warwickshire chose to bat first, but were quickly in trouble, limping to lunch on 64-5 as Tom Helm took two wickets, including Jonathan Trott for 18.
Tim Murtagh (3-20) had captain Ian Bell (14) caught behind by John Simpson, who held four catches to take his career first-class dismissals past 400, before Finn ran through the middle order and tail.
England bowler Chris Woakes, playing his first match since picking up a side strain on England duty in the Champions Trophy, removed openers Sam Robson and Nick Gubbins in Middlesex's reply.
The defending champions slumped to 59-6 as the visitors looked on course for an unlikely first-innings lead, with Ryan Higgins also off the field after being struck on the helmet by a Chris Wright bouncer.
But Higgins (38) returned and put on a decisive stand of 93 for the seventh wicket with Franklin to take Middlesex into a narrow lead, before Sidebottom skittled out the tail to cap a dream debut.
