DAY TWO - CLOSE OF PLAY
Middlesex Second Innings: 63 for 0
Warwickshire First Innings: 151 for 6
Middlesex First Innings: 242
Middlesex showed the resolve, ruthlessness and skill of potential champions as they seized control on the second day of their Specsavers County Championship match with Warwickshire at Edgbaston.
Ollie Rayner's five for 49, his tenth five-for in first-class cricket, sent the home spinning all out for 172, earning the Division One leaders a first-innings lead of 70 which looks decisive with Warwickshire to bat last on a turning pitch.
The game was evenly-balanced in mid-afternoon with the home side, replying to 242, advancing slowly but steadily at 122 for two, but lurched Middlesex's way as four wickets fell for six runs in 40 balls.
The catalyst for the collapse was the fall of Ian Westwood whose excellent 81 (185 balls, 11 fours) was ended by a run out after a bad call by Ian Bell.
The last eight wickets then fell for 50 against the spin of Rayner and Ravi Patel (two for 54). By the close, Middlesex reached 63 without loss, 133 ahead overall, to strengthen their stranglehold on a day which suggested they are more than ready to handle the pressures of a title-race run-in with champions Yorkshire.
For Warwickshire, meanwhile, there remains a nagging fear that they will be sucked into a relegation scrap after a mystifyingly collapse. They resumed in the morning on one without loss and reached 75 for two at lunch, Varun Chopra and Jonathan Trott having edged fine balls from Harry Podmore and Toby Roland-Jones respectively.
Westwood was resolute, though, despite still being in discomfort from taking a full-blooded pull in the neck at short-leg the previous day and was heading towards a second century in successive championship matches when he was torpedoed by an unexpected source. Bell called for a single to mid-on that was never there and Westwood was left high and dry, unable to regain his ground with bowler Rayner in his way. Six overs later, it was 128 for six.
Patel had Sam Hain taken at slip and Bell (19, 100 balls, one four) caught behind and Rayner snared Rikki Clarke lbw. Alex Mellor and Keith Barker added 24 but, after tea, Rayner rifled through the lower order with four wickets in 16 balls. Barker (22, 34 balls) edged to the wicketkeeper, Jeetan Patel had his middle-stump knocked back first ball and Chris Wright and Josh Poysden sent catches to short leg and mid-wicket respectively.
In contrast to that clatter, Nick Gubbins and Sam Robson added an unbroken 63 in 22 overs before the close to cement their side's superiority.
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DAY TWO - TEA
Warwickshire First Innings: 151 for 6
Middlesex First Innings: 242
A needless run out triggered a steep Warwickshire collapse as Division One leaders Middlesex fought back hard on the second afternoon of their Specsavers County Championship match at Edgbaston.
In reply to the visitors' 242, Warwickshire went into tea on 151 for six.
They had been heading for a strong position at 122 for two in mid-afternoon when Ian Westwood (81 from 185 balls with 11 fours) was run out after Ian Bell called him for a single that was never there and then changed his mind.
Westwood, unable to regain his ground as bowler Ollie Rayner was in his way, was run out by Toby Roland-Jones's throw - and 40 balls later Warwickshire were 128 for six.
The spinners did the damage as Ravi Patel had Sam Hain taken at slip and Ian Bell (19, 100 balls, one four) caught behind and Rayner snared Rikki Clarke lbw.
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DAY TWO - LUNCH
Warwickshire First Innings: 75 for 2
Middlesex First Innings: 242
Opening batsman Ian Westwood showed characteristic pluck to shore up Warwickshire's reply to Middlesex's 242 on the second morning of their Specsavers County Championship match at Edgbaston.
Still heavily bruised and sore from taking a full-blooded pull from Dawid Malan in the neck at short-leg yesterday, Westwood batted through the morning session to reach 47 (115 balls, six fours) out of his team's 75 for two at lunch.
Batting was tricky against a blend of seam and spin from an attack led by Harry Podmore and Toby Roland-Jones, who took one wicket apiece, both with excellent deliveries.
Warwickshire resumed this morning on one without loss and openers Westwood and Varun Chopra took the score to 33 before the latter edged an out-swinger from Podmore to wicketkeeper John Simpson.
Another superb ball, this time from Roland-Jones then forced an edge from Jonathan Trott and Sam Robson took a fine catch diving to his left at first slip but Ian Bell joined Westwood to add an unbroken 26 before lunch.
