Middlesex took the last five Leicestershire first innings wickets by eight overs after lunch, but having enforced the follow-on with the visitors trailing by 235 runs, they encountered much sterner resistance, Leicestershire finishing on 177-2 in their second innings with one day remaining.

Before the start of play, wicket-keeper Ben Scott reported sick and the Leicestershire captain Paul Nixon, kindly agreed to allow Middlesex to call in a substitute keeper; David Nash was therefore called up from a second team match in Beckenham but Eoin Morgan took over the keeping duties until Nash arrived on the ground at 12.15pm.

The two young Leicestershire batsmen, Cobb and Taylor, continued to frustrate the Middlesex bowlers with Cobb (who scored 148 not out for Leicestershire at Lord’s last season) reaching his fifty off 87 balls (5 fours).

It was Alan Richardson who got the breakthrough after 74 minutes when Cobb was well held by the diving Steve Finn at short mid-on for 60. David Nash had only been on the field for two overs before he held a catch off Neil Dexter’s bowling to end Taylor’s resistance – Taylor made nine runs off 69 balls. White and Crowe added 29 runs for the eighth wicket before Crowe was trapped LBW by Dawid Malan for 10.

O’Brien joined White and they saw the visitors to 243-8 at lunch. O’Brien fell to the second ball after the interval when he presented Malan with a return catch. White scored useful runs whilst AJ Harris blocked out 18 deliveries before White was bowled off an inside edge by Tim Murtagh for 32, leaving the visitors all-out for 258.

Steve Finn had figures of 3-56 from 14 overs with Alan Richardson 2-42 from 22 overs and Dawid Malan 2-21 from 7 overs.

Following-on, Leicestershire lost a wicket in the opening over when Tim Murtagh trapped Boyce LBW for a single. New was joined by Dippenaar at the wicket, and after a period of consolidation against the Middlesex opening attack of Murtagh and Richardson, they found the gaps through the attacking field set when the change bowlers were introduced. The total advanced to 81-1 in the 21st over before New was held at second slip off Shaun Udal’s bowling for 43.

Ackerman joined his fellow South African, Dippenaar at the wicket, and they saw the visitors to 87-2 at tea. Dippenaar reached his fifty in the fourth over after tea (off 79 balls, 9 fours) but Middlesex were frustrated further as the South African pair batted solidly, adding a further 90 runs in 33 overs to take Leicestershire to 177-2 at the close of play.

In desperation, Middlesex even tried Andrew Strauss who bowled the final over of the day. Dippenaar was 85 not out with Ackerman 45 not out.

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