County Championship: Higgins return boosts Middlesex v Glamorgan

Ryan Higgins has just rejoined Middlesex from Gloucestershire on a four year deal

Middlesex took the upper hand against promotion rivals Glamorgan as they bowled the visitors out for 214 at Lord's.

The home side then reached 132-4, Mark Stoneman hitting 72 not out while James Harris took three wickets.

Ryan Higgins, back with Middlesex from Gloucestershire, took 4-59 to limit Glamorgan after Toby Roland-Jones and Tim Murtagh claimed early wickets.

Chris Cooke top-scored with 52 for the visitors.

The two teams, wearing black armbands, lined up facing the Lord's pavilion to observe a minute's silence before the playing of God Save The King.

Glamorgan's preparations were disrupted by their hotel being requisitioned for police use and being forced to travel into north London from Watford.

They were quickly in trouble against the experienced Middlesex seam attack, slipping to 48 for four inside 11 overs as Murtagh and Roland-Jones took full advantage of the early movement to claim two early wickets apiece.

India's Shubman Gill made 22 before bottom-edging an attempted pull onto his stumps to provide Roland-Jones with his 50th wicket of another fine season.

Kiran Carlson made 36 as Glamorgan partially recovered, while Cooke made an 80-ball half-century before managing to play on as he drove at a wide ball from Ethan Bamber.

Higgins, playing his first match back with Middlesex, did the rest of the damage, ending a brief counter-attacking flurry of boundaries from Ajaz Patel (36) as wicket-keeper John Simpson took his fifth catch of the day as he passed 600 first-class dismissals.

Glamorgan's total looked well below-par as batting conditions were easing in the afternoon sunshine, and Stoneman quickly had his side on the front foot.

He and Stevie Eskinazi (36) took them to 90-1 but Harris, bowling with extra pace against his former team-mates, got rid of Eskinazi, Pieter Malan and Max Holden in a burst of three for one.

Stoneman then hit Harris for 15 off four balls to stop the slide, and John Simpson dug in alongside the left-handed opener before bad light intervened.

Middlesex all-rounder Ryan Higgins said:

"It was a good day although we'd have liked them to have got maybe 40 less from where they were, but nice to get a few wickets and nice to be back.

"Tim Murtagh had the ball on a string for the majority of the day as the game moved quickly, Glamorgan batted aggressively, but the session after lunch was really good for us.

"Throughout my career I haven't scored the number of runs I think I'm capable of, but the bowling is just as important so I want to do well with both."

Glamorgan all-rounder James Harris told BBC Sport Wales:

"It's not a million miles off even stevens in the game, we knew it was going to be tough losing the toss against Tim, Toby and the rest of the boys on that wicket with a half-past ten start in September.

"We scrapped our way past 200 and we needed to take some wickets, we bowled OK, a couple of early wickets in the morning and we're right in the game.

"I've been very privileged to play here as much as I have, I don't how many times I'll play here again so it was lovely to find some rhythm and keep us in the game."