County Championship: Middlesex v Northants – Visitors struggle at Northwood

Toby Roland-Jones led the way as Middlesex had the better of a rain-affected opening day against Northamptonshire at Merchant Taylors’ School.

In his benefit year, Middlesex’s leading red-ball wicket-taker this season made good on his decision to bowl first under murky skies, returning 3-34.

Tom Helm produced a fiery opening burst en route to 2-41 as the visitors struggled to 167-7.

Emilio Gay made 42 to provide the chief resistance for Northamptonshire.

Indian Test opener Pritvhi Shaw made a positive start but an attempted pull off Roland-Jones ended his fun, the ball skying to Mark Stoneman at point.

Helm was next to strike as he lured Ricardo Vasconcelos into a pull shot which ballooned to Roland-Jones at wide mid-on.

The 30-year-old then produced the sort of ball pacemen dream off, bringing one back from outside off-stump to bowl Northamptonshire skipper Luke Proctor.

George Bartlett gave Sam Robson the first of three slip catches and, while Rob Keogh briefly launched a counter-offensive, twice striking successive boundaries, he also found the hands of the former England opener with an edge off Henry Brookes.

Gay had watched all the carnage from the other end until Roland-Jones found a brute on the stroke of tea which lifted from around fourth stump, causing him to edge to Robson at slip.

Roland-Jones removed Justin Broad for an eight-ball duck soon after the resumption but Lewis McManus and Ben Sanderson halted the slump before rain drove the players from the field.