LV COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP DIVISION TWO, Lord's:
CLOSE OF PLAY, DAY ONE: Gloucestershire 268, Middlesex 71-4
Gloucestershire 3 pts, Middlesex 3 pts
Match scorecard

O'Brien took 7-48 from 21.2 overs

New Zealand international seamer Iain O'Brien took 7-48 as Middlesex bowled out Gloucestershire for 268.

But the men from the West Country hit back by taking four top-order Middlesex wickets before the home team closed on a shaky 71-4.

Gloucestershire opener Jon Batty scored 49 and Hamish Marshall hit 72 at almost a run a ball before becoming O'Brien's second victim.

But Steve Kirby took 3-23 in a fiery late burst to keep Glos in the game.

On a Lord's pitch that offered lateral movement to the seamers throughout the day, it was 33-year-old right-armer O'Brien who made the best use of the conditions to claim the second best return of his career and his best in county cricket.

But only Danny Evans, with 2-45, gave O'Brien the support he needed as the usually reliable Tim Murtagh suffered an off day.

Despite the early departure of Kadeer Ali, who lost his middle stump to O'Brien, and Chris Dent, caught behind for 19, a third-wicket stand of 99 between Batty and Marshall put Gloucestershire on top before Marshall's attempted pull against O'Brien took a leading edge and ballooned high to mid-off.

Batty's vigil ended when he edged an attempted drive against Evans onto his leg stump.

Feisty contributions from former captain Chris Taylor (32) and James Franklin (44) took Gloucestershire past 250 before O'Brien returned to mop up the tail.

The hosts were soon deep in trouble themselves as Scott Newman suffered his fifth failure since joining from Surrey when he drove airily at Franklin to edge to Batty.

Kirby's introduction then caused havoc in the Middlesex ranks. Owais Shah fell leg before to a leg cutter before Andrew Strauss and night watchman O'Brien went in successive deliveries.

Strauss nicked low to third slip then O'Brien's leaden-footed cut at his first ball brushed the edge and gave keeper Batty his second catch of the session.

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