County Championship: Middlesex battle to avoid the follow-on against Somerset

Middlesex batsman Adam Voges struck 86 from 173 balls before retiring hurt

Middlesex managed to avoid the follow-on as bad light produced a stop-start day three against Somerset at Lord's.

Somerset started well, dismissing Nick Compton and Stevie Eskinazi before Adam Voges and Paul Sterling (52) put on a vital 101-run partnership.

Voges was forced to retire hurt on 86, but James Franklin (38 not out) and Ollie Rayner (29) saw them get within 150 runs of the visitors' 443.

Poor light stalled the final session as Middlesex finished 311-7, 132 behind.

Beginning the day on 42-0, the hosts were under pressure immediately as Tim Groenewald (2-36) trapped Compton lbw and Lewis Gregory bowled Eskinazi.

Nick Gubbins fell for 56 before Sterling and Voges steadied the ship against Somerset's seamers with a good partnership.

However, when Sterling fell just after bringing up his first half-century of the season and John Simpson departed to another Steven Davis catch shortly after, Somerset had the follow-on in their sights.

Toby Roland-Jones fell cheaply, but Franklin and Rayner's stand of 42 got them past the follow-on target, meaning neither side is likely to force a first County Championship win of the season on the final day.