County Championship: Murtagh shines as Middlesex complete win over Leicestershire

Marcus Harris' dismissal by Nathan Sowter was a key moment on the final day at Northwood

Tim Murtagh took four wickets as Middlesex beat Leicestershire by 121 runs for only their second County Championship win of the season.

The 39-year-old boosted his tally for the season to 37 with 4-36 as the visitors were bowled out for 171 at Merchant Taylors' School.

Middlesex were earlier dismissed for 196, with Stevie Eskinazi 66 not out.

It left Leicestershire a target of 293 but their last five wickets went down for 18 runs after Josh Inglis made 52.

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Middlesex finish bottom of the Group Two table despite the 22 points for their victory with the visitors remaining in fifth place following their fourth defeat in 10 games.

The home side only managed to add 20 to their overnight 176-7 as spinner Callum Parkinson finished with 4-35, while Will Davis (3-21) had career-best match figures of 8-87.

Murtagh bowled Sam Evans for a duck at the start of Leicestershire's second innings, but Marcus Harris and Lewis Hill were together until after lunch as they shared a stand of 64.

A key moment came when Nathan Sowter bowled Harris for 46 with a perfect leg-break which turned between bat and pad and wickets fell regularly thereafter despite the best efforts of Inglis.

The Australian reached his first Championship half-century off 79 balls with a cover drive for four, before falling to a superb low catch by wicketkeeper Robbie White off Murtagh.

The former England Test fast bowler bowled Parkinson with his next delivery to hasten Leicestershire's demise.

But Murtagh ended up with with an injury which forced James Harris to complete his over, getting a wicket with his first ball, before wrapping up victory with a second.

Middlesex head coach Stuart Law:

"We've worked really hard for this one. There were a few moments in the game when I thought we were going to let it slip, but there was tremendous fight shown by our senior players.

"Sam Robson batted through the first day for 138 not out and Steve Eskinazi came out with a groin injury to bat at number seven and shepherded us to a total we could defend.

"Then the bowlers did their work. I'm really proud of Ethan Bamber, Tim Murtagh, Daryl Mitchell and James Harris for getting the bulk of the work done and the prize wicket of Marcus Harris was a beauty from Nathan Sowter."

Leicestershire head coach Paul Nixon:

"We came in with high hopes of batting it out and putting together a couple of good partnerships to win the game in order to get into the middle division which was our target at the start of the year.

"But we had a few soft dismissals again. We kept losing wickets at key times just when a partnership was developing. And fair play to Middlesex. They had good discipline and bowled better lengths than we did.

"We let them get 50-60 too many in that first innings and then with the bat we were 50 or 60 short ourselves, so that is where we were put under pressure."