County Championship: Matt Critchley helps Essex take control against Middlesex

Matt Critchley backed up his first-innings half-century with a second score of more than 50 in the second innings

Essex's seamers destroyed the Middlesex top order for the second time in 24 hours as they closed in on victory on day three of their County Championship clash at Lord's.

Nominally chasing 308 to win, Middlesex's first four batters were all on a pair after the havoc wreaked by Jamie Porter's six-wicket haul on day two.

The mental scars of that had clearly not healed as the hosts quickly plummeted to 15-3, Sam Cook the chief architect with an opening burst of two for four.

Max Holden and John Simpson also succumbed to the spin of Simon Harmer and Matt Critchley respectively as Middlesex closed on 77-5, Cook finishing on 2-16.

Earlier, Critchley's 53 ensured Essex reached 211 in their second innings, Tim Murtagh taking 4-44.

The story once again revolved around Middlesex's front-line batters crumbling in their first taste of Division One cricket since promotion last summer.

Mark Stoneman relieved Sam Robson of the responsibility of facing the first ball, though soon wished he hadn't when three balls in, first-innings nemesis Porter (one for 24) pinned him in front, though replays suggested he may have been outside the line.

Robson survived the king pair but reached only three before suffering the same fate at the hands of Cook, who then had Essex's third lbw appeal against Pieter Malan upheld, the South African this time making four.

Max Holden briefly lifted the gloom, driving the ball well, especially square of the wicket, but he was cut off in his prime, a victim of the wiles of Simon Harmer, the 13th lbw of the match.

Middlesex raised eyebrows at start of play by throwing the new ball to Ryan Higgins ahead of Murtagh at the Nursery End. The ploy nearly worked with the medium pacer rapping Sir Alastair Cook on the pad in the first few overs. His vociferous appeal was not upheld, though it looked adjacent.

Scare survived, Cook and Browne prospered against some initially wayward bowling. When Murtagh relieved Higgins he was immediately driven for four by Cook, who then deposited his next offering into the Mound Stand for six.

Murtagh gained recompense when Browne drove loosely to be caught at cover for soon after raising the half-century stand.

Cook too didn't overly prosper from his earlier reprieve, brilliantly caught and bowled by Higgins and Tom Westley too departed before lunch to a leg-side strangle, but by then Essex had turned their 96-run lead into one of almost 200.

Critchley was Essex's mainstay through the afternoon. The former Derbyshire all-rounder made a century on debut for Essex last season against Kent, but only passed 50 in the championship on one other occasion, a 90 in the reverse fixture at Canterbury.

Here, with Essex in the ascendancy he could play patiently and wait for the odd bad ball, and in company first with day one centurion Dan Lawrence and then Harmer he reached the landmark for the third time in Essex colours with the help of eight boundaries.

Critchley and Harmer were eventually victims of a frugal afternoon spell from Murtagh, unusually bowling from the Pavilion End, but by then Essex appeared to have enough in the bank.

Match report supplied by the ECB Reporters' Network.