Richardson stars for Middlesex

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Five wickets for Middlesex’s Alan Richardson ensured his side finished the first day in a strong position in their LV County Championship Division Two match with Gloucestershire at Lord’s.

Richardson, who has missed most of the season with an ankle injury, finished with figures of 5-34 as Gloucestershire were dismissed for 218 with the Middlesex seamer taking his first five-wicket haul since May last year.

The home attack soon had the visitors in trouble when in the third over of the day William Porterfield was dismissed lbw, playing half-forward to Tim Murtagh with only six runs on the board.

In the next over, Richardson snapped up his first wicket of the innings when he tempted Kadeer Ali, on nought, to play a loose drive which found the inside edge and clattered into the stumps.

Alan Richardson made a successful return to action with 5-34 © Getty Images

Hamish Marshall, having taken 35 minutes and faced 25 balls to get off the mark and survived a dropped catch on nought, was next to fall, as Steve Finn trapped the former New Zealand player lbw playing across the line for a single.

Gloucestershire soon lost Chris Taylor for five, caught at forward short leg off Richardson as Gloucestershire were reduced to 39 for four.

Both Alex Gidman and David Brown stemmed the tide and pushed the score along to 80 before Gidman went for 38. Gidman, who had survived a dropped catch two balls previously, played on trying to leave a late outswinger from Murtagh.

Brown went on to complete his half-century, sharing important partnerships of 46 and 51 with Stephen Snell and Richard Dawson, before Snell edged to third slip for 31 and then Brown himself fell in the 54th over for 68 from 128 balls faced, beaten by a Finn in-swinger.

Skipper Jon Lewis, having scored 15, followed a Richardson out-swinger which Ben Scott snapped up behind the stumps and then just five balls later Dawson rashly drove to cover for 29 to leave the visitors on 216 for nine.

A further two runs were added before Ian Saxelby played all around a straight delivery from the impressive Richardson and was given out lbw.

In reply, Middlesex were soon on the attack with Andrew Strauss and Billy Godleman sharing an opening stand of 77, before Strauss top-edged a pull straight to mid-on seven runs short of his half-century.

By the close they had advanced to 105 without further loss with Godleman and Ed Joyce unbeaten on 40 and 21 respectively.