Essex 266 (Lawrence 105, Roland-Jones 7-61) and 211 lead Middlesex 170 (Higgins 70, Simpson 63, Porter 6-35) and 77 for 5 (Eskinazi 24*, S Cook 2-16) by 231 runs
The good news for Middlesex is they improved on their historical implosion of 4 for 4 in their first innings on Friday. The bad news is that it was not by much.
This time around, Essex reduced them to 0 for 1 within three deliveries, 4 for 2 after 19 and 15 for 3 midway through the eighth over. The kicker to Saturday's top-order capitulation was it came at the start of a chase of 308.
Mercifully, only one of Friday's four bagged a pair - Mark Stoneman the unfortunate batter, trapped lbw by Jamie Porter. By the time Sam Cook had dismissed Sam Robson and Pieter Malan in the same fashion, the duo had at least scored their first runs off the bat this season. Stevie Eskinazi, the last of the four noughts, is still there on 24. And yet, just 38 overs in, he is already running out of full-time partners.
Max Holden looked to have settled with him, only to fall lbw to Simon Harmer attempting to paddle around the corner. But a more meaningful stand between Eskinazi and John Simpson for the best part of 20 overs hinted at a rebuilding effort, especially after the wicketkeeper-batter's dutiful 63 from 183 balls in the first innings. Alas, seven deliveries before the 7.10 pm close of play, Eskinazi was back among the rubble when Simpson inexplicably slapped Matt Critchley's full toss straight back to him.
Just three days into their return to Division One after six years, Middlesex face an almighty struggle, albeit against the canniest operators in this format. Essex won the County Championship twice in the last six years by getting ahead and staying ahead, which is exactly what they have done here at Lord's. On a pitch that is tough to score on, this Essex attack might be one of the worst to face.
Middlesex were spirited for most of the day, particularly their bowlers, headlined by Tim Murtagh's 4 for 44, restricting Essex to 211 in their second innings. The visitors carried a 96-run lead into their second innings, which began at the start of day three, and had added 52 by the time Nick Browne became the first of 14 wickets to fall. The left-hander was Murtagh's first, owing more to batter error as Browne drove straight to cover. It was out of sync with how that duel began; Middlesex's talisman wayward early on, allowing Browne to knock him down the ground for four, then over the short boundary at square leg for six in consecutive deliveries of Murtagh's first over.
Alastair Cook did not last much longer beyond Browne, undone through some individual brilliance from Ryan Higgins. The seamer, who opened instead of Murtagh, readjusted his follow-through to take a sharp catch with his left hand as the former England captain drove back down the pitch.
In came Dan Lawrence, 24 hours after walking off with 105, intent on carrying over the same principles that had produced that first century of the season. He explained that the handful of outlandish shots - notably the charge for six over cover against Toby Roland-Jones on day one - were deliberately random moments intended to catch bowlers off-guard. "It's actually a lot easier when you commit to it than when you don't," he added. And it certainly looked that way.
Higgins was lifted over midwicket after a quick advance down the track. Roland-Jones almost had his head taken off by a thumping straight drive, also played on the move. For the second time, Lawrence looked completely at ease and more than capable of taking the match away from Middlesex. Higgins, though, held his nerve with one that held its line instead of going down the slope to nick Lawrence off for 37.
On paper, 122 for 4 - a lead of 218 - was a good start for Middlesex and it got better when Adam Rossington flayed an edge off Luke Hollman to first slip a run later. At that point, you wondered if Essex might lose the thread of this match, as teams sometimes do when in a third innings. But a second measured half-century in the match from Critchley ensured the lapse was not terminal.
He was quicker this time around, reaching the milestone in 72 deliveries, 16 fewer than the first. He took three boundaries off Hollman in the 39th over, then a brace off Higgins in the second. At that point, Roland-Jones brought himself and Murtagh back on to stem the flow, which the latter did exceptionally well in a seven-over spell of 2 for 17.
Critchley was the first of those two, trapped lbw to end a stand of 48 with Harmer, who then followed in the same fashion. Snater's 19 was the only other score of note in a tail that might have done a bit better, particularly after tea when Cook chipped to cover two balls into the evening session. The No.10 did not have to wait long to make amends.
Cook will no doubt spend day four dovetailing with Porter at the Pavilion End, while Harmer camps out at the Nursery End to finish off Middlesex with time to spare. It may be Easter Sunday tomorrow but with 231 to get, surely not even the staunchest Middlesex disciple believes they are rising from this.
