County Championship: Keaton Jennings makes 97 as Lancashire build lead over Middlesex

Keaton Jennings was also out for 97 against Northamptonshire in May

England opener Keaton Jennings was out for 97 for the second time this season as Lancashire built a 211-run lead on day three against Middlesex.

The left-hander has yet to make a Championship century in 2019 and missed out when he played on to Nathan Sowter.

He shared 127 with Liam Livingstone, who made 68 before falling to the second new ball.

Lancashire, the new Division Two champions, were 289-8 when bad light ended play 11 overs early.

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Having already sealed promotion, the only goal left now for the Red Rose is to remain the only unbeaten side in the two divisions.

And, after resuming on 14-1, they made steady progress with Jennings supported by nightwatchman Saqib Mahmood (34) and Josh Bohannon (28) as the total moved past 100 just after lunch.

He batted for five hours and 21 minutes and hit 12 fours, but his dismissal began a slump from 253-3 which saw five wickets go down for 29 in 13 overs, as Middlesex fast bowler Miguel Cummins took 4-50.

Lancs opening batsman Keaton Jennings told BBC Radio Lancashire:

"Regardless of one's own performance, it's about putting the team in a position from which they can win the game. It was personally disappointing to get out just before the new ball but a lead of 250 would be really competitive on that pitch

"The hope is that we can eke out a few more and then put them under pressure on a wearing surface. Day one was hard work, day two was a belting batting surface and now it's got tougher.

"It's not only about going unbeaten; you want to dominate every team you play against. You want to be tough to beat. We've done so well over the last six months that you don't want to get to the last couple of weeks and let yourself down."

Middlesex fast bowler Ethan Bamber told BBC Radio London:

"It's been a long day but that last session gave us some rewards for our efforts. The other pace bowlers were outstanding and Toby Roland-Jones was really unlucky not to pick up a wicket in that last spell.

"It was nice to contribute with a couple of wickets, especially as I didn't do my job as well as I hoped to do in the first innings. It was a better feeling walking off the ground.

"The way we've battled shows the fight there is in the dressing room and the commitment we all have to winning games for Middlesex."