County Championship: Middlesex close on innings win over Hampshire

Tim Murtagh has taken 23 County Championship wickets at an average of 21.47 this season

Middlesex dominated with bat and ball on day two to close on victory against Hampshire at Merchant Taylors' School.

The hosts declared on 467-3 after John Simpson reached 100, with Adam Voges unbeaten on 160 at the other end.

Seamers Tim Murtagh (4-33) and Toby Roland-Jones (4-49) then tore through Hampshire's batting line-up as the visitors were all out for 131.

Middlesex enforced the follow-on and reduced Hampshire to 62-3 at stumps, still trailing by 274 runs.

The hosts started the day comfortably on top thanks to centuries from Voges and Dawid Malan on Sunday, and Simpson's fine attacking innings compounded Hampshire's misery.

Simpson resumed on 28, before racing to his first Championship century of the season from only 125 balls, striking 13 fours and three sixes in the process.

Murtagh and Roland-Jones' efforts with the ball left Hampshire with plenty of work to do to avoid their second defeat by an innings in three games, with Sean Ervine (31) the only batsman to pass 30.

Will Smith was then caught behind off Murtagh with the second ball of the visitors' second innings, and James Fuller (2-24) struck twice more in the final session.