Middlesex left in a spin by Warwickshire rookie
Middlesex 242: Malan 57, Eskinazi 49; Poysden 5-53
Warwickshire 1-0
Close, day one: Warwickshire trail Middlesex by 241 runs
Middlesex’s ambitions of lifting the County Championship title for the first time since 1993 were jolted by Warwickshire leg-spinner Josh Poysden on the opening day at Edgbaston.
Poysden, playing only his ninth first-class match, took a career-best 5-53 as Middlesex were bowled out for 242.
Against a Warwickshire attack fired up to earn the win they need to secure their Division One status, that was plenty fewer than the league leaders envisaged when they chose to bat.
But having seen 25-year-old Poysden extract turn from the pitch on the first day, Middlesex will be optimistic about what their two spinners might do as the match goes on.
Former Middlesex paceman Chris Wright did the early damage, striking twice in his first 13 balls to remove Sam Robson (1) and Nick Gubbins (2).
Nick Compton (33 from 105 balls) and Dawid Malan (57 from 110 balls) dug in, the latter scoring just five from his first 50 balls.
They added 88 in 26 overs but were parted when Compton edged to slip.
Poysden then widened the breach with two quick wickets as Malan fell and John Simpson bat-padded to short-leg to leave Middlesex 134-5.
Stevie Eskinazi and James Franklin halted the collapse with a stand of 56 but Poysden returned to snare both of them in five balls either side of tea.
He trapped Franklin lbw with the last ball before the interval and bowled Eskinazi for 49 in his first over after it, before bowling Ollie Rayner.
Toby Roland-Jones turned Jeetan Patel to leg-slip and Wright finished with 4-41 after returning to have Harry Podmore caught at second slip with the new ball.
