County Championship: Ryan Higgins gives Middlesex slight edge against Northants

Ryan Higgins rejoined Middlesex from Gloucestershire on a four-year contract

Ryan Higgins displayed his all-round prowess on day two of Middlesex's County Championship Division One basement battle with visitors Northamptonshire at Merchant Taylors' School.

Higgins, in his second spell with club, made 64 not out - his sixth half-century of the season - to steer the hosts from the perils of 127-5 to only their second batting bonus point of the campaign.

A total of 277 gave the hosts a first-innings lead of 58, as Mark Stoneman was their other half-centurion with 51, while Max Holden made 41.

Rob Keogh impressed with his off-spin for Northamptonshire, returning 3-52, while Ben Sanderson took 3-77.

Not content with his batting efforts, Higgins then removed both Ricardo Vasconcelos and Justin Broad when Northamptonshire batted again - the visitors almost achieving parity by reaching 55-2 at stumps, three runs behind.

While Northamptonshire relied on stoic defence for their score on day one, Middlesex adopted more of a risk and reward approach.

They played more shots, rotated the strike and, wherever possible, turned ones into twos to put pressure on the fielders.

In the end it brought some reward, though on a pitch of already variable bounce it remains to be seen whether a 58-run lead will be sufficient for a side who have to bat last.

Stoneman signalled Middlesex's more aggressive intent with two fours from one Jack White over before striking the seamer back over his head for six.

Nightwatchman Ethan Bamber kept Stoneman company through the first seven overs, taking a little more of the shine off the Kookaburra ball before Sanderson uprooted his middle stump.

It would be the visitors' last success for some time as Stoneman and fellow former England opener Sam Robson forged a half-century stand.

Stoneman twice savagely cut Sanderson to the fence at point, while Robson found the cover boundary twice with dreamy drives.

However, Robson - like many in the match before him - never looked set and it was no surprise when White found the edge of his bat to give wicketkeeper Lewis McManus the first of his four victims behind the stumps.

Stoneman became the first batter in the match to reach 50 only to fall in White's next over when a shortish ball kept low and hit middle stump.

Pieter Malan and John Simpson departed to Sanderson and Tom Taylor respectively either side of the lunch interval.

Higgins promptly pulled his first ball through square-leg for four, but thereafter it was Holden who made the running in their stand of 64, cutting and driving the seamers before greeting spinner Keogh with a reverse sweep for another boundary.

Just as the former England Under-19 skipper appeared set, Keogh got one through his defences to trap him on the crease.

Josh De Caires didn't stay long and when Stephen Eskinazi, batting at nine because of the finger injury sustained on day one, edged into the hands of Gay in the gully Middlesex's lead was a mere 11.

Higgins went to a controlled 50 and, with the help of skipper Toby Roland-Jones, steered the hosts into the leaed and Higgins struck in his first over to dismiss Vasconcelos for 22 and Broad soon followed when he edged through to Simpson.

Report supplied by ECB Reporters' Network.