Middlesex resumed on the final day at Edgbaston 351-5, leading by 305, and batted on. Dawid Malan added 2 to his overnight 138 before he edged to Tim Ambrose from Chris Wright's first over of the morning, 357-6 ending a partnership of 105 with Gareth Berg. Berg and Steve Crook then started planting the ball all round the park with Crook planting Keith Barker into the Eric Hollies stand at midwicket. The pair added 42 in 7 overs before Crook feathered a Boyd Rankin bouncer through to Ambrose for 19 for his fourth wicket, 399-7. Berg (78 from 102) then slapped a cut to Darren Maddy at point for Wright's fourth wicket. Tim Murtagh edged Rankin to Rikki Clarke at slip first ball as Rankin finished with 5-78. Toby Roland-Jones was last man out after swinging at every ball in the over (from which 2 fours came) and forcing a long-stop fielder into position, TRJ last heave went to Barker at midwicket, Wright taking 5-119 as Middlesex finished on 412 leaving Warwickshire an unlikely 367 runs to win.
Warwickshire began badly, Ian Westwood (0) edging low where Adam Rossington flew low to his left in front of first slip to cling on to a great catch, 7-1. Next over, things got even worse as Varun Chopra missed a pull and could only limply top edge to Murtagh running round from mid-on for 4 off Roland-Jones, 7-2.and before lunch, they'd be 3 down as Will Porterfield charged past Ravi Patel's first ball to be comfortably stumped by Rossington for 12, 31-3.
Jim Troughton and Maddy hit some boundaries to bring up the 50, as Maddy then pulled a full ball from Berg, missed and was LBW for 10. Warwickshire now went very defensive (even though Clarke smashed Patel back over his head for six) as the gloom and rain began to close in. Roland-Jones then got Clarke LBW with one that swung sharply inwards, 86-5. The rain then delayed any further play until after tea. Troughton edged down the leg side where Rossington juggled the catch at the 2nd attempt, 100-6 and notionally 30 overs left to survive. With the light deteriorating Middlesex needed wickets, and a dropped catch in the deep off Patel didn't help as Dawid Malan came on to bowl from the Pavilion end in tandem with Patel. Blackwell's free strokeplay led to his downfall, slicing a drive back to Patel for 23, 134-7.
That would be it as far as wickets were concerned as Ambrose (having had an x-ray after being hit on the fingers when keeping) and Barker batted out 14 overs until the light caused play to be abandoned with Warwickshire 152-7, taking 9 points (staying top) and Middlesex 8, Patel taking 3-60.
