County Championship: Hampshire take charge against Middlesex

Will Smith signed for Hampshire from Durham in September 2013

Division One table-toppers Middlesex endured a difficult second day against Hampshire at the Ageas Bowl.

After a rain-delayed start, an innings-best partnership of 91 between Will Smith (93) and Gareth Berg (50) carried the hosts' score past 400.

Neil Dexter claimed four of the five wickets to fall in the day with his medium pace to achieve figures of 5-64.

Joe Burns (38) edged the penultimate ball of the day behind to leave Middlesex 102-3, still 311 runs behind.

Rain meant that play got under way at 14:15 BST and Hampshire lost Sean Ervine early on when he was bowled by Toby Roland-Jones after adding just one run.

That brought Gareth Berg to the crease and the former Middlesex man hit five fours and one six on his way to a first fifty for his new side, before he was caught in the deep trying to take on Dexter.

The medium-pacer then removed Smith with a bouncer seven runs short of his first Championship century of the season to expose Hampshire's tail.

Dexter dismissed Fidel Edwards and James Tomlinson to complete his third first-class five wicket haul and end the innings.

Hampshire began brightly with the ball and debutant Brad Wheal produced a quick delivery which nipped back to bowl Sam Robson, before Edwards struck with his first delivery to pin Nick Gubbins lbw.

The away side appeared to have weathered the early pressure but with the partnership worth 69 runs and Nick Compton 32 not out, Burns edged Ervine to Adam Wheater to underline the hosts' ascendency.