Holden cements Middlesex dominance after seamers put Lancashire under cosh

Hosts lead by 212 with eight wickets in hand after two days at Merchant Taylors' School

Middlesex 247 (Hollman 54, Anderson 3-40) and 116 for 2 (Holden 50*) lead Lancashire 151 (Hurst 46, Helm 4-40) by 212 runs

A day of tumbling wickets in the Rothesay County Championship Division Two clash between Middlesex and Lancashire at Merchant Taylors' School provided a glance back to England's past and a glimpse into its possible future.

James Anderson (3 for 40), who almost didn't take to the field because of ongoing struggles with a calf problem, provided an exhibition of classic seam bowling, ably supported by Ben Walkden and George Balderson who took three wickets apiece to bowl the hosts out on the stroke of lunch for 247, Ryan Higgins making 44.

Middlesex though hit back to take charge, Tom Helm led the way with 4 for 40, while Higgins returned 3 for 39 and Naavya Sharma, already an England Lion, suggested he may one day be the man to assume Anderson's mantle with 3 for 39 as the beleaguered Lancashire batters were hustled out for 151, Matty Hurst leading the resistance with 46.

Middlesex stretched that lead to 212 by the close for the loss of both openers. Max Holden, who had been on a pair, reached a thrilling 50 at more than a run a ball in the final over of the day.

Anderson spent more than an hour bowling down the hill from the Benham End with the ball on the proverbial string, constantly leaving batters wafting at fresh air in a bid to get wood on willow.

Ironically, his one reward came from a ball which misbehaved, scuttling along the floor and under the bat of Luke Hollman, who failed to add to his overnight 54.

The pressure Anderson built at one end brought wickets at the other as Middlesex's middle-order crumbled. Ben Geddes promised much before being pinned lbw to the first ball of Balderson's spell before Walkden impressively plucked out the respective middle stumps of Harry Duke and Zafar Gohar in the pace of three balls.

Higgins, dropped at slip on six, survived the sticky start to provide the main resistance, driving strongly and ramping on from Walkden over the head of keeper Hurst.

Toby Roland-Jones also launched three fours back over the bowler's head and Helm clouted the innings' only six to lend late belligerent support, but once again Middlesex fell short of a batting point.

Helm though soon had the visitors in trouble, pinning Keaton Jennings leg before for one before producing a brute of a ball which bounced from just short of a length and was edged behind by Harry Singh.

Marcus Harris became the fifth lbw victim of the game and when Sharma plucked out Rocky Flintoff's off-stump, the Red Rose county were wilting at 35 for 4.

Hurst, not regarded as a natural opener, proved obdurate, surviving an early shout for a catch behind and a bang on the grille from a Helm short ball to lead an attempted rebuild.

Arav Shetty kept company with him for a while, hitting Helm over long leg into the beer tent before the bowler took revenge and had him caught behind.

Walkden too played nicely, adding to his earlier wickets with a boundary sprinkled 28, but he was undone by lateral movement from Sharma, who then proved the undoing of Hurst too, castling him with another beauty.

Balderson did his best to shepherd the tail but Helm and Higgins cleaned up to leave the hosts with a first-innings lead of 96.

Robson's poor run continued when Tom Bailey uprooted his off stump, while Hollman's were spreadeagled by Balderson as Middlesex began again, but Holden's explosive counter-attack had the hosts well in charge by the close.