Catches, they say, win matches and it was certainly the dismissal of choice at Lord's yesterday where all ten Essex wickets were steered into fielders' hands, nine of them behind square, followed by Middlesex's only wicket in similar fashion.

It was a traditional Lord's recipe of good swing bowling, movement off the slope and thoughtless batting that spoilt Essex's card. Only two catches were anything but routine, with Ben Scott, the Middlesex wicketkeeper, diving in front of slip to dismiss Mark Pettini and Dawid Malan, a substitute for Ed Joyce, holding a tough chance at gully to remove James Foster.

Ravi Bopara, coming off the back of a one-day double hundred on Wednesday, looked the most composed, immaculately balanced when playing forwards or backwards. He brought up Essex's hundred with a superbly timed cover drive for four off Dirk Nannes, then tickled the same bowler for four down the leg side to move into the forties.

However, on 43 he was unable to remove his bat from a ball from Gareth Berg that jagged back in and clipped his inside edge on the way to the wicketkeeper, one of three wickets for Berg.

A break for bad light shortly after lunch broke Essex's rhythm as they slipped from 131 for three to 136 for seven and finally 161 all out in the space of 12 overs, with Tim Murtagh taking four for 11 in six overs to go with two earlier wickets.

Another interruption for bad light brought a halt to Middlesex's innings after only six overs but they maintained their concentration after an early tea was taken. Billy Godleman and Ed Smith put on 65 for the first wicket before Smith wafted and was caught behind off David Masters.

It was a careless shot from a batsman who had not previously looked troubled in reaching 37 and will do little to quieten a section of the county membership who want his head. Amid rumours of dressing-room discontent, a special general meeting has been demanded for next month. Beating Essex is the minimum demand for Middlesex's members, who have now gone 15 years without a trophy.

Godleman and Owais Shah received cacophonous appeals for edges behind in the overs before a third spell of bad luck ended proceedings but on both occasions the umpire's finger remained down.

Essex: First Innings

J E R Gallian c Scott b Finn 30
T Westley c Scott b Murtagh 9
G W Flower c Morgan b Murtagh 4
R S Bopara c Scott b Berg 43
*M L Pettini c Scott b Murtagh 32
R N ten Doeschate c Berg b Murtagh 0
†J S Foster c sub b Berg 3
J D Middlebrook c Shah b Berg 9
A J Tudor c Scott b Murtagh 4
D D Masters not out 4
Danish Kaneria c Morgan b Murtagh 10

Extras (lb 6, w 1, nb 6) 13

Total (46.2 overs) 161

Fall of wickets: 1-21, 2-29, 3-77, 4-131, 5-131, 6-131, 7-136, 8-147, 9-147.

Bowling: Murtagh 16.2-6-44-6; Finn 10-1-41-1; Nannes 5-0-25-0; Berg 14-4-38-3; Udal 1-0-7-0.

Middlesex: First Innings

B A Godleman not out 23
*E T Smith c Foster b Masters 37
O A Shah not out 6

Extras (nb 9) 9

Total (1 wkt, 29 overs) 75

E C Joyce, E J G Morgan, †B J M Scott, G K Berg, S D Udal, T J Murtagh, S T Finn and D P Nannes to bat.

Fall of wicket: 1-65.

Bowling: Masters 12-4-30-1; Tudor 10-2-22-0; Bopara 5-3-19-0; Ten Doeschate 2-1-4-0.

Umpires: N G Cowley and M J Harris.