Lancashire v Middlesex: Scores and match report from County Championship Division One

Match scores (Southport): Close of play day three

Middlesex 1st inns: 180 (Simpson 53*, Stirling 49: Mahmood 3-63, Clark 3-36)

Middlesex 2nd inns: 236 (Malan 52, Robson 42: Parry 5-45, McLaren 3-48)

Lancashire 1st inns: 309 (McLaren 75, Bailey 58; Murtagh 6-63, Harris 4-119)

Lancashire 2nd inns: 111-2 (Hameed 38no, Croft 34no; Roland-Hones 2-34)

Lancashire beat Middlesex by eight wickets

Day four report 

A first Championship five-wicket haul for Stephen Parry and a timely knock from England opener Haseeb Hameed ensured there were no major scares for Lancashire as they wrapped up an eight-wicket win against title holders Middlesex at Southport.

This was a fine performance from Lancashire who shrugged off their recent drubbing by Yorkshire to inflict a first Championship defeat on the visitors since September 2015 - a run of 21 games - in what was effectively a three-day affair after Saturday's total wash out.

Hameed, who has been in poor form for his county this season, scored a characteristically patient unbeaten 38 from 81 balls as Lancashire passed their target of 108 with a flourish thanks to a straight six from skipper Steven Croft who finished 34 not out.

Faced with a modest total, Lancashire lost their first wicket in the final over before the lunch interval when wicketkeeper Alex Davies edged Toby Roland-Jones to his fellow glove man John Simpson for 13.

Following the interval, Liam Livingstone joined Hameed at the crease with the 23-year-old celebrating his call-up to the England squad for the three-match NatWest IT20 series against South Africa with a characteristically energetic 22 before a three-ball sequence saw him dropped at second slip by James Franklin, hit on the gloves by Roland-Jones before edging one behind.

The day had started with Middlesex holding a slender 27-run lead with four wickets in hand but that became three after half-an-hour's play when James Harris edged a steepling delivery from Ryan McLaren to Davies for 19.

Quarter-of-an-hour later and Davies had another victim when Dawid Malan's resistance ended following a battling 52 as he got another good one from McLaren.

That left Middlesex on 180-8 and staring down the barrel but Tim Murtagh and Roland-Jones had other ideas as they biffed and bludgeoned their way to a 49 partnership before Murtagh was stumped off the bowling of Parry for 27.

A lead of 100 gave Middlesex a whiff of a chance if they could add another 30-40 runs but it was not to be as Parry picked up his fifth wicket with Roland-Jones out lbw for 31 off 32 balls to leave the visitors all out for 236. 

Day three report

A stirring fightback from Lancashire's tail-enders and three wickets for slow left armer Stephen Parry ensured it will be the hosts who go into the final day of their Specsavers County Championship Division One clash with Middlesex confident of victory.

Following Saturday's total washout a complete day's play was possible at Southport as Lancashire fought hard to contrive a winnable position and raise the possibility of ending Middlesex's 21-match unbeaten run.

At the close of an extended final session Middlesex are 27 runs ahead and with only four wickets in hand to help them extend their slender lead after Lancashire compiled an unlikely total of 309 in their first innings.

Crucial to the change in momentum of the Lancashire effort was Ryan McLaren who came in to bat following the early loss of Shivnarine Chanderpaul who had failed to add to his overnight score of 32 when he edged Tim Murtagh to Sam Robson at first slip.

A total of 125 for five quickly became 136 for six as Dane Vilas also fell to Murtagh but with Lancashire rocking a 62-run partnership for the seventh wicket between McLaren and Jordan Clark saw the Red Rose eke out a lead before James Harris trapped Clark in front for 38, with the same bowler dismissing Parry caught at second slip by Dawid Malan soon afterwards.

Tom Bailey then joined McLaren at the crease for an even more productive partnership as the pair extended the total to 291 before the South African was bowled for 75 by Murtagh, who picked up six 63 off his 28 overs.

Bailey, determined to go down all guns blazing, hit two consecutive sixes before holing out to Stevie Eskinazi to give James Harris his fourth wicket as he reached a career best score of 58.

A lead of 129 looked incredibly useful and was made to look even better when Nick Gubbins was adjudged to have edged Saqib Mahmood behind for one despite retrospective evidence that it had hit his arm rather than his glove.

Robson and Eskinazi looked to rebuild the innings from five for one and they had reached 64 when the latter was beaten by a fine delivery from Parry and bowled for 42.

Seven overs later Robson joined him in the dressing room after he played a loose to shot to a wide one from McLaren and was pouched by a leaping Steven Croft at backward point.

Seam and swing bowling had so far dominated the game but it was Parry, who did not even bowl in the first innings, who now began to determine the course of events.

The 30th over saw the left armer claim two wickets in four balls as Paul Stirling was trapped in front for 12 before wicket keeper John Simpson was caught at short leg by a diving Vilas for a duck to leave the Middlesex innings in tatters at 99 for five and still 30 runs in arrears.

Lancashire's day was topped off when Mahmood bowled skipper James Franklin without scoring with an excellent yorker to leave Dawid Malan (45no ) and Harris (15no) battling their way to 156 for six at the close.

Day two report 

Heavy and persistent rain prevented any play on day two of the Specsavers County Championship match between Lancashire and Middlesex at Southport.

The overnight and early morning rain stopped at about 9.30am, sparking hope that some play would be possible.

However, a shower at lunchtime was merely the prelude to further heavier rain and play was eventually abandoned by umpires Steve O'Shaughnessy and Peter Hartley at 3.00pm.

The forecast is more promising for the remaining two days and Lancashire will resume on 123 for four - 57 runs in arrears of Middlesex's first-innings total of 180 - when the game continues on Sunday.Shivnarine Chanderpaul is 32 not out and Dane Vilas is unbeaten on 24. 

Day one report

Fourteen wickets fell on a compelling opening day of the Specsavers County Championship clash between Lancashire and Middlesex at Southport, as the hosts took a slight advantage heading into day two.

It was a day for the bowlers from start to finish, despite the fact that the near entirety of it was played under sunny skies.

Having won the toss, Middlesex skipper James Franklin would not have envisaged his side being bowled out before tea, but six wickets in the afternoon session reduced the visitors from 143 for for to 180 all out.

When Lancashire lost their first two wickets in the first over without a run on the board, 180 began to look a good score, but Shivnarine Chanderpaul spearheaded a gritty response that has just edged Lancashire in front.

Lancashire's 20-year-old seamer Saqib Mahmood caught the eye at the start of proceedings. Having been talked up as a talent for some time this is just his third first-class game, but he steamed in with good pace and rhythm to Middlesex's opening pair of Sam Robson and Nick Gubbins.

Mahmood got his reward when Gubbins feathered one down the leg-side and was taken by Alex Davies for one. Robson looked in good touch on his return from five weeks out with a hamstring injury but edged behind off Bailey for 15.

At 30 for two, Middlesex were wobbling somewhat and their cause was not helped when Dawid Malan took on a Bailey short ball from just his 11th delivery faced and popped it straight down the throat of Chanderpaul at fine leg.

Steve Eskinazi was also on his way before lunch, becoming the third to edge behind to Davies. The keeper was becoming a key factor in the match and ended the innings with six catches - just one short of equalling the Lancashire record for most dismissals in an innings.

He picked up his fourth catch when Paul Stirling advanced down the track to Mahmood and suffered a leg-side death one run short of his half-century. Stirling had looked confident at the crease, hitting nine boundaries and one big six.

But his dismissal at 143 for four triggered something of a collapse. Franklin chopped on to give Mahmood a third, before Jordan Clark struck twice in the 47th over to remove James Harris and Toby Roland-Jones - both caught by Davies.

John Simpson provided stout resistance to the relentless tumbling of wickets, bringing up his 50 from 79 balls but he rapidly ran out of partners. Murtagh fell to Ryan McLaren for a duck and Ravi Patel picked out Stephen Parry in the deep off Clark to end the innings in double-quick time.

Wicket-keepers were flavour of the day as Simpson swiftly joined Davies in racking up the catches, holding the first three wickets of the Lancashire innings.

The first two fell in Murtagh's opening over when Davies fell to the second ball of the innings and Liam Livingstone edged behind while advancing down the track for a golden duck. Lancashire were 0 for two and captain Steven Croft had to survive a hat-trick ball.

But survive it he did and, alongside Haseeb Hameed, began to dig in for Lancashire. The pair shared a gritty 50-partnership for the third wicket.

However, the leg-side strangle had also dominated proceedings and remarkably Hameed became the fourth batsman to suffer the most frustrating of dismissals when he feathered one through to Simpson for 18.

Croft would also fall for a well-made 31, but Lancashire's Kolpak pairing of Chanderpaul and Dane Vilas saw them through to the close on 123 for four.