Sometimes when you achieve what you most want, the most powerful message you can send is not to celebrate it. Ed Joyce, the Middlesex captain, scored his first Championship century of the season yesterday and there was barely a flicker of reaction. He pulled a long hop from Garnett Kruger dismissively for four, tapped his crease and undemonstratively cocked his bat to the pavilion before settling back for the next ball.

No hugging, no helmet off, no big deal, he was saying to his clapping team-mates and Leicestershire. Some of the poetry was unfortunately lost when Joyce fished at a wide one in Kruger's next over and was caught behind. It was fine innings, with Joyce pulling and cutting well and using his feet skilfully to dominate Claude Henderson. But suddenly, from 128 for one, after three injudicious shots, Middlesex were 200 for four and in a spot of bother.

Dawid Malan and Ben Scott consolidated slowly with a stand of 77 in 34 overs, but with the second new ball - and the occasionally surprising bounce that this good pitch has offered to bowlers prepared to look for it - Malan played on cutting at Kruger.

With the light fading fast, the umpires consulted but decided to continue. Kruger, from the Pavilion End, dug the next ball in and Shaun Udal was caught in two minds and then at point off the shoulder of his bat. He stood and stared at Tim Robinson, the umpire.

It was a significant blow for Middlesex as Udal is their third-highest run-scorer in the Championship this season with 464 at an average of 42. Udal made his views even clearer from the balcony when the umpires offered the light without another ball having been bowled. At 285 for six with a long tail, Middlesex are in trouble.

It had all looked so different before lunch as Andrew Strauss drove his way to a fluent 57-ball fifty. Thirty-six came off the first 14 overs but 80 off the next as the Leicestershire bowlers sprayed the ball around. Hylton Ackerman, the Leicestershire captain, chased the ball with his field as it spread into a hopeful ring, but three self-inflicted wounds by Middlesex after lunch allowed Leicestershire back into the match.

Strauss went in the third over after the resumption. He came down the track to Henderson, the left-arm spinner, was beaten in the flight but went through with a different shot as the ball spun to leg. He succeeded only in lifting the ball gently to square leg.

Henderson bowled 28 overs unchanged from the Nursery End. He dried up the runs and also found the bounce that probably undid Eoin Morgan, who was caught at slip trying to run the ball to third man. Udal and Murali Kartik will look forward to getting their hands on the ball.

Scoreboard

Middlesex: First Innings
A J Strauss c sub b Henderson 71
D M Housego c Nixon b Malik 1
*E C Joyce c Nixon b Kruger 101
E J G Morgan c Ackerman b Henderson 19
D J Malan b Kruger 46
†B J M Scott not out 33
S D Udal c Taylor b Kruger 5
Extras (b 1, lb 4, w 2, nb 2) 9

Total (6 wkts, 91.1 overs) 285

T J Murtagh, M Kartik, A Richardson and S T Finn to bat.

Fall of wickets: 1-4, 2-128, 3-184, 4-200, 5-277, 6-285.

Bowling: Du Preez 19-6-41-0; Malik 19-3-62-1; Kruger 16.1-3-64-3; Allenby 6-1-30-0; Henderson 28-6-69-2; Cobb 3-0-14-0.

Leicestershire: M A G Boyce, G P Smith, †H D Ackerman, J Allenby, J W A Taylor, J J Cobb, *P A Nixon, G J P Kruger, D du Preez, C W Henderson, M N Malik.

Umpires: N G Cowley and R T Robinson.

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