Middlesex's ignominious collapse represented not just their lowest score of the season, but also the third time in a week they have been bowled out for fewer than 200 runs. Promotion aspirations, which appeared realistic before the defeat by Warwickshire last weekend, now look misplaced. Worcestershire's first championship win at Lord's since 1988 lifts them to the top of the second division table.

Worcestershire's attack, led by the in-form Kabir Ali, applied pressure under which Middlesex buckled. Ali had both openers caught behind in a superb opening spell of 8-2-10-2. He also ran out Eoin Morgan with a deflection off his own bowling, and when Gareth Andrew found some extra bounce to have Owais Shah caught at second slip, Middlesex were a sickly 24 for four without having hit a boundary.

Ben Scott and Dawid Malan responded with a plucky stand of 113 in 25 overs before Gareth Batty dismissed both, producing his best return of the season with five wickets in 34 balls at a cost of only two runs.

Batty bowled tidily enough, but was assisted by poor batting. Scott edged to slip, Shaun Udal skied to mid-wicket, Malan gave a return catch off a leading edge and Murali Kartik was caught at backward point. When Steve Finn was bowled by Andrew, the last six wickets had fallen for 27 runs in 19 overs, a woeful effort.

Left with 104 to win, Worcestershire raced to their target in 17 overs without recourse to the extra half hour. Twenty-two fours, eleven apiece by the openers, were struck off an attack that looked completely resigned to defeat. Stephen Moore galloped to his fifty from as many balls, while Daryll Mitchell finished with 48 off 47.

At least Middlesex have an extra day to prepare for Twenty20 Finals Day at Southampton tomorrow. With nine victories in eleven matches in that form of the game this season, they have been the most successful team, but they will need to rediscover some confidence if they are to beat Durham. The club are shortly to announce that they will appoint a new director of cricket, with a short-list about to be drawn up.

Scoreboard

Middlesex: First Innings 300 (S D Udal 91; Kabir Ali 5 for 58)

Second Innings
N R D Compton c Davies b Ali 3
*E C Joyce c Davies b Ali 0
O A Shah c Hick b Andrew 6
E J G Morgan run out 6
D J Malan c and b Batty 52
B J M Scott c Hick b Batty 58
S D Udal c Moore b Batty 0
T J Murtagh not out 13
M Kartik c Ali b Batty 7
D Evans c Davies b Batty 0
S T Finn b Andrew 5
Extras (lb 12, w 2) 14

Total (61.3 overs) 164

Fall of wickets: 1-1, 2-4, 3-21, 4-24, 5-137, 6-137, 7-139, 8-151, 9-151.

Bowling: Ali 15-3-33-2; Mason 13-6-28-0; Arif 8-2-25-0; Andrew 9.3-1-33-2; Batty 16-7-33-5.

Worcestershire: First Innings (overnight 350-9)
G M Andrew not out 38
Imran Arif lbw b Kartik 5
Extras (b 12, lb 6, w 12, nb 20) 50

Total (109 overs) 361

Fall of wickets: 1-50, 2-74, 3-76, 4-137, 5-189, 6-260, 7-267, 8-299, 9-349.

Bowling: Murtagh 23-2-92-2; Finn 18-5-64-0; Evans 16-1-77-3; Kartik 33-16-49-3; Udal 19-2-61-1.

Second Innings
D K H Mitchell not out 48
S C Moore not out 55
Extras (nb 2) 2

Total (no wkt, 17 overs) 105

Bowling: Finn 8-1-48-0; Evans 3-0-31-0; Murtagh 5-1-19-0; Shah 1-0-7-0.

Umpires: R J Bailey and R K Illingworth.