TEAMS in the first division this season must have felt like the balls in the lottery machine — one moment up in the air with a vision of financial reward, the next in freefall and in danger of relegation. Middlesex and Northamptonshire were still uncertain of their ultimate fate after an oscillating first day here, although Northamptonshire, who have a fair idea of their destination, were sustained by determined fast-medium bowling by their overseas strike force, Johann Louw and Paul Rofe.

On a day of velvety warmth, when nothing but jet-streams scarred an azure sky, Middlesex were unable to take advantage of winning the toss although on a pitch already used this season and with three spinners in their eleven they may yet do so.

Owais Shah, Ed Joyce and Paul Weekes, the last-named fluent in making 54 with nine fours and a six, worked hard towards marking the last game of the season at Lord’s with a century, but each got himself out when well set.

Middlesex quickly lost Sven Koenig, who is leaving at the end of the season, and Ben Hutton, who seems to need the restoration of the captaincy to reignite his mid-season form, Koenig to an outside edge, Hutton to an edged pull.

For the next 59 overs home supporters enjoyed a painstaking yet attractive partnership between Shah and Joyce that added 154. There was a sense of the imminent end of summer’s lease with more than the usual crowd of midweek devotees gathered on the high side of the ground and in the pavilion.

Against three tall, open-chested bowlers purveying much the same fare — Louw, Rofe and the English clone, Ben Phillips — it was as well that there was a contrast between Shah and Joyce. The Irishman punctuated careful defence with easy, hard-hit boundaries, eight fours and a pull-driven six before guiding a slower ball to backward point. Shah, faithful to the fashionable and effective forward press, also collared a ball into the Grandstand and hit 12 crisp fours before placing a short ball with extraordinary deliberation into the hands of cover on the short boundary.

Shah is Middlesex’s highest scorer this season, a matchwinner at Hove earlier this week and said to have attracted the interest of Surrey. Earnest, wristy and technically watertight, he is a Middlesex version of the lost Mark Ramprakash and he would be much better advised to continue accumulating here in masterly fashion while his prior mentor does the same at the Oval.