County Championship: Somerset's Matt Henry claims five wickets to pile pressure on Middlesex

Somerset's Matt Henry took five wickets in Middlesex's first innings as the home side were made to follow on

Matt Henry took centre stage with bat and ball as Somerset forced hosts Middlesex to follow on on day two of their County Championship clash at Lord's.

The New Zealand fast bowler, who took 4-93 against England in a Test at Lord's eight years ago, again excelled at the home of cricket, returning 5-45 as Middlesex were bundled out for 175 in their first innings.

Henry's heroics with the ball came hot on the heels of a swashbuckling 40 in the day's first hour, which propelled Somerset to 404.

On the other hand, the hosts' batting struggles continued, only a combative half-century from wicketkeeper John Simpson and a pugnacious 39 from Toby Roland-Jones saving them from greater ignominy.

It is now one batting point in 30 for Richard Johnson's men this season.

Following on, Middlesex lost Sam Robson in reaching 81-1, Mark Stoneman surviving an edge to third slip to sit unbeaten on 45.

They still trailed by 148 and faced an uphill battle to avoid a fourth defeat in six games.

Somerset lost Craig Overton to Tim Murtagh in only the third over the day, but that merely served to bring Henry to the crease and he signalled his intent with a brutal drive back past the bowler to get off the mark with a boundary.

He continued to strike the ball cleanly to send six more deliveries to the ropes, although he was helped by some friendly offerings from the home attack.

In the blink of an eye Henry had reached 40 in only 22 balls and it needed the introduction of Ryan Higgins to end the revelry, the quick hooking a short one into the hands of Ethan Bamber behind square.

England spinner Jack Leach came out swinging before losing his off-stump to Bamber, but Lewis Gregory ensured a fourth batting point.

It soon became apparent Henry's whirlwind innings had merely been a taster for his performance with ball in hand.

He and Craig Overton subjected Middlesex openers Mark Stoneman and Sam Robson to a searching examination with the new ball, Henry in particular beating the bat with regularity.

It seemed as if the hosts had passed the test until, with lunch looming, Henry sent a delivery between Stoneman's bad and pad to flatten his leg-stump and then produced an outswinger to Stephen Eskinazi, who nicked through to wicketkeeper Steve Davies.

The hat-trick ball was delayed by the interval before Henry came close to the feat with a delivery, left by Robson, which missed his off-stump by a whisker.

If the first two wickets could be put down to Henry's brilliance, the same was not true of those that followed. Max Holden started well enough, twice driving Henry to the cover fence, only to then play no shot to one that came back up the slope and trapped him in front.

Robbie White's first knock of the summer lasted two balls before skipper Gregory pinned him on the crease and, when Robson became the latest Middlesex man this season to be strangled down the leg-side, half their side were gone with just 70 on the board.

To his credit, Simpson was at his gritty best, driving fluently and briefly threatening a counter-offensive in company with Higgins.

However, the latter missed a full toss from Leach (2-22) to be lbw and, with the rot set in, Luke Hollman inexplicably reverse swept another from the England spinner into the hands of slip.

Simpson's seventh four took him to a 92-ball 50, while home skipper Roland-Jones came out firing, hitting cleanly through the mid-on, mid-off arc to rack up six boundaries in a rapid 39, the pair adding 54 for the eighth wicket.

But Henry returned to remove both Roland-Jones and Bamber to complete a five-for and condemn Middlesex to the follow-on.

Report supplied by ECB Reporters' Network.