Batting collapse leaves Northants on the rack after wicket-laden day at Lord's

After winning the toss, Northants’ batters endured a nightmare as they were bowled out for just 103.

On a disappointing day, they then allowed Middlesex to recover from 43 for four to post 255, meaning they will start their second innings on Friday morning 152 runs in arrears.

Ryan Higgins recreated last weekend’s One Day Cup Final heroics with another century to help Middlesex take control on day when 20 wickets fell.

The all-rounder, whose 100 underpinned the Seaxes’ fightback to beat Leicestershire in last final at Trent Bridge, came to the rescue again after Northants seamer Ben Sanderson (4-68) had reduced his side to 32 for four.

Ben Geddes began the revival with a gutsy 57 before Higgins (115) and Harry Duke – who had shared a partnership of 135 in the final – added a vital 69 to guide Middlesex to 255 all out.

Higgins had earlier taken four for 30, with team-mate Danru Ferns picking up four for 29 as Northants were flattened, seriously denting their prospects of overhauling Kent to claim the second promotion place.

They needed a strong bonus point haul with the bat, and instead claimed none.

Luke Procter’s decision to bat after winning the toss appeared to backfire rapidly when the captain was pinned leg before by Toby Roland-Jones for a third-ball duck, while Higgins’ opening spell inflicted further damage.

Gus Miller and Saif Zaib fell to Higgins in quick succession and Ferns then picked up a wicket with his maiden delivery at Lord’s, which Calvin Harrison pumped straight to the cover fielder with a terrible shot.

Ferns achieved plenty of movement down the slope and also removed Ricardo Vasconcelos, who batted nicely to reach 26 before slashing a widish ball to second slip, but James Sales counter-attacked with a few crisp boundaries.

Sales and Lewis McManus teamed up to stage a mini-recovery, adding 33 before the latter drove at Tom Helm, who reacted quickly to twist in his follow-through and snag a return catch.

Higgins returned after lunch to dismiss Louis Kimber, wafting wastefully at a short and wide one outside off stump. and Sanderson, while Ferns brought one back to trap Harry Conway in front and the fall of the ninth wicket prompted Sales to start hitting out.

Having slammed Ferns over mid-off for four to lift Northants’ total into three figures, Sales was yorked for 43 next over – and then it was the home side’s turn to run the gauntlet.

Like their opponents, Middlesex lost a wicket in the first over as Sanderson nipped one back into Sam Robson’s pads and Nathan Fernandes followed in identical fashion, shuffling across soon afterwards.

With Max Holden caught behind off a thin edge and Caleb Falconer becoming Sanderson’s third lbw victim, Middlesex found themselves four down in the ninth over – but Geddes and Higgins revived their fortunes.

Geddes was on the front foot to the seamers, driving to the cover fence three times in one Sanderson over and slamming a short-pitched effort from Procter for four more to take the partnership beyond 50.

Higgins, having survived a sharp caught and bowled chance to Conway, used his feet to good effect as well and the pair had secured a narrow lead by the time Miller’s inswinger zoomed in to hit the top of Geddes’ stumps shortly before tea.

Duke took up the baton in the final session, dispatching Conway for successive fours before Higgins passed his half-century by cutting the seamer to the rope as Middlesex continued to stretch their advantage.

Procter made the breakthrough, bringing himself on to unseat Duke for 28 with a ball that pitched and seamed to hit middle and off, but Higgins embarked on a late assault against Miller, hitting a series of fours to bring up his hundred.

He and Zafar Gohar added 62 for the seventh wicket, with Middlesex advancing beyond 250 before Higgins was finally out, top-edging a slog sweep off Yuzevndra Chahal and Harrison finished off the innings by bowling Helm.