After reaching double figures only once in eight championship visits to the crease for Hampshire last season, Shaun Udal has enjoyed a new lease of life with the bat with his adopted county. Not only did he make his third fifty of the season in the LV County Championship, but Udal also recorded his highest first-class score for 11 years, his ebullient 91 from 147 balls rescuing Middlesex from a parlous 102 for five. Even if a total of 300 looks below par on a good pitch, the North London side are still in the match.

Udal justified his elevation to No 7 in the order, defending capably and selecting the right ball to hit. A savage pulled six off Gareth Andrew was trumped by an even bigger blow into the top tier of the Tavern Stand when he swept Gareth Batty. Tim Murtagh gave him valuable support in a restorative seventh-wicket stand of 105 in 24 overs.

A hundred at Lord's, something of which all cricketers dream, was within sight when Udal top-edged an attempted pull off Kabir Ali to Steven Davies, who had earlier held a fine diving catch to account for Dawid Malan. Ali bowled very well, bringing one back down the slope to bowl Owais Shah off his pad and finishing with a second five-wicket haul in successive innings.

Ali was ably backed up by Matt Mason, whose nine-over opening spell cost only eight runs and brought him the wicket of Nick Compton, leg-before half-forward. Gareth Andrew produced a beauty to have Eoin Morgan caught behind before Stephen Moore ran out Ed Joyce with a direct hit from the cover boundary. Joyce, who was ambling back for a second run, paid the penalty for poor cricket.

Ben Scott played some attractive strokes in his 41 until he gloved an attempted pull. Murtagh took heavy toil of Imran Arif, who had an unhappy day with the ball in this his second appearance since being signed as an overseas player for the rest of the season. He also dropped a sitter at long leg off Ali when Joyce was 34. Batty eventually had Murtagh caught at slip off a top-edged sweep.

Members' gripes about the Middlesex committee, even though a motion of “no confidence” was withdrawn last week, were heard at a forum in the banqueting suite at Lord's after play. Vince Codrington, the chief executive, was due to attend along with other senior club officials.

Scoreboard

Middlesex: First Innings
D J Malan c Davies b Ali 12
N R D Compton lbw b Mason 1
O A Shah b Ali 1
*E C Joyce run out 46
E J G Morgan c Davies b Andrew 18
†B J M Scott c Davies b Andrew 41
S D Udal c Davies b Ali 91
T J Murtagh c Hick b Batty 44
M Kartik c Mason b Ali 12
D Evans not out 12
S T Finn c Davies b Ali 0
Extras (b 2, lb 6, w 10, nb 4) 22

Total (88.4 overs) 300

Fall of wickets: 1-8, 2-9, 3-19, 4-61, 5-102, 6-147, 7-252, 8-286, 9-291.

Bowling: Ali 18.4-3-58-5; Mason 19-7-30-1; Arif 13-1-65-0; Andrew 16-1-80-2; Batty 19-2-53-1; Solanki 3-1-6-0.

Worcestershire: First Innings
D K H Mitchell not out 3
S C Moore not out 6
Extras 0

Total (no wkt, 5 overs) 9

*V S Solanki, B F Smith, G A Hick, †S M Davies, G J Batty, K Ali, G M Andrew, Imran Arif and M S Mason to bat.

Bowling: T J Murtagh 3-0-8-0; Finn 2-1-1-0.

Umpires: R J Bailey and R K Illingworth.

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