County Championship: Leicestershire slump to 13-4 chasing 275 to beat Middlesex

Middlesex paceman Toby Roland-Jones has taken seven wickets in the match

Middlesex are within sight of a victory that will put them squarely in contention for the County Championship Division Two title after Leicestershire's fragile batting undid their good work with the ball.

Skipper Callum Parkinson took 4-69 and young leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed a career-best 3-50 as Middlesex collapsed from 209-3 to 271 all out in their second innings, losing their last seven wickets for 62 after Mark Stoneman (81) and Max Holden (91) had put on 165 for the fourth wicket.

It left Leicestershire with a fourth-innings target of 275 to record their first win of the season. Instead they are in deep trouble on 13-4.

After leaders Nottinghamshire's heavy innings defeat at Worcester, a win would take Middlesex, who now face Worcestershire at New Road, into next week's final round of matches in second place just nine points behind.

Leicestershire had achieved their first objective by finishing just three behind on first innings after Ed Barnes and Chris Wright added 21 runs to their overnight total.

Toby Roland-Jones prised out the last wicket when Barnes top-edged a pull to be caught behind for a best-of-season 46, the Middlesex seamer improving his figures to 4-66 and 59 first-class wickets for the season. Another five will match his career-best tally of 64 in 2012.

Leicestershire were then in the ascendancy when Middlesex lost three wickets in the first 10 overs, mainly as a consequence of Parkinson's bold decision to give his own left-arm spin a try with the new ball just five overs old.

By then, Middlesex had already lost Sam Robson to a fine catch at second slip by Colin Ackermann off Michael Finan - and Parkinson struck with his seventh ball when Stephen Eskinazi's paddle-sweep looped to short leg.

When he made one bounce and turn to have a groping Pieter Malan caught at slip in his next over, Middlesex were 44-3, just 47 in front.

But as Stoneman and Holden set their minds to scoring quickly in the hope of taking the game away from their opponents, adding 50 in 10 overs.

Parkinson almost had Stoneman on 51 with a difficult chance to short leg at 139-3, but the pitch was becoming increasingly unresponsive and, by tea, their lead had been extended to 247.

Holden, often easy on the eye with 13 boundaries, departed on 91 after uncharacteristically poking at a wide ball from Tom Scriven outside off stump, caught behind by a diving Harry Swindells.

Stoneman was bowled behind his legs for 81 and, when Ryan Higgins was bowled by Ahmed, failing to pick the youngster's googly, Leicestershire felt they were back in the game - and Middlesex's collapse accelerated, as their last four wickets tumbled for nine runs.

John Simpson, sweeping, was bowled by one from Parkinson that turned back a long way and Luke Hollman heaved a horribly mistimed pull straight to mid-on.

Parkinson picked up his fourth wicket when another super delivery beat Ethan Bamber's push forward to clip off stump, before a Roland-Jones miscue to long-on gave Ahmed his third.

It left Leicestershire chasing 275 to win but, inside six overs, Tim Murtagh dismissed Sam Evans leg before with his second ball, Sol Budinger, off the mark with a thick outside edge for four, was bowled off an inside edge by Roland-Jones, who then saw off Kimber, bowled by a full delivery and Ahmed dragged one on to his leg stump,

Leicestershire skipper Callum Parkinson:

"I sound like a broken record. It is a period we have to get through and find a way to be one down rather than four. If we were 20-1, it would be a different story.

"It has been a really good cricket pitch. There has been a bit in it for everyone. It flattened out for the seamers and the ball we had didn't really swing that much, but there is as much spin as I've seen at Grace Road in a natural pitch, where we haven't put sand down as we did last year.

"The foot marks for the left-hander were really prominent and me and Rehan bowled nicely in tandem. I brought myself on a bit earlier this time after the criticism I had in the last game and it paid off."

Middlesex seamer Toby Roland-Jones:

"One of the positives of us not quite following up on a good start with the bat is to have had a few extra overs to bowl and it was important to make the most of that and pleasing that we did.

"It has been a good season for me to take some wickets and be fit for a full summer, which hasn't been the case for a little while. And if we can cap it with promotion next week it will feel even better.

"We are aware of Nottinghamshire losing, but we knew coming into this game that we would have to win to have a chance in the last game of the season, so that doesn't change."

Report supplied by ECB Reporters' Network.