On the day that the special general meeting was called off after the motion of no confidence in the Middlesex committee was withdrawn, their batsmen capitulated for their lowest score of the season and were asked to follow on 223 runs behind. Rain helped Middlesex as they came off six overs into their second innings at 4.38pm and may yet save them in this top-of-the-table clash.

There were 54 overs lost yesterday, after, farcically, the players re-emerged after two hours to bowl two overs of spin before going off for bad light. In all 84 overs have been lost in the match, helping Middlesex, although the stop-start nature of their innings may have explained some of the concrete footed wafts.

It is the second time in three championship games that Warwickshire have been able to enforce the follow-on, some feat for a bowling attack that looked toothless at the beginning of the season. When conditions suit them Chris Woakes and Darren Maddy (who has 14 wickets at an average of 15.35 this season) have proved a handful.

Resuming on 70 for three, Warwickshire were kicking themselves when rain took them off after 9.1 overs. Middlesex had added 25 but Jonathan Trott had dropped Owais Shah at first slip off Chris Martin. But that was the only foot Warwickshire put wrong.

Ashley Giles, the Warwickshire director of cricket, said that Shah had not been approached, but Ed Joyce and Dawid Malan have been, with the need for a quality batsman.

Middlesex lost their last seven wickets for 75 runs in 22 overs. In damp but humid conditions the ball continued to swing and Shah was trapped leg-before in the first full over after lunch, as Neil Carter swung it back into his pads and the ball kept a little low.

Eoin Morgan, Middlesex's man in form who has re-signed for three years, edged a hard drive off Carter, who was swinging the ball away from the left-hander, to first slip. The Gatting Way end is proving the more intimidating for the batsmen, with the ball emerging from the dark chestnut trees surrounding the sightscreen. Middlesex's decision to go into this game with such a long tail looked questionable. The member's forum on Tuesday may still be lively.

“It's likely to be lively and I think it should be,” Vinny Codrington, the Middlesex chief executive, said. “I welcome the debate. I am just sorry it got to the stage of a special general meeting.” Codrington said that Middlesex expected to have meetings with the out-of-contract Joyce, Shah and Malan next week.

He said Middlesex were pleased with the move of the festival from Southgate, where it has been for the last ten years, to Uxbridge, where it was from 1980 to 1998. “I think the weather has affected the crowds, but we will be looking to play here and Southgate over the coming seasons with the Twenty20 World Cup and the London Olympics coming up,” Codrington said.

Southgate had been unable to accommodate Middlesex for three weekends in four. There are also believed to have been disagreements over an increase in payment from Middlesex.

Scoreboard
Warwickshire: First Innings 393 (J O Troughton 88, T Frost 84, N M Carter 67, A G Botha 54; T J Murtagh 4 for 66)
Middlesex: First Innings (overnight 70-3)
O A Shah lbw b Carter 42
E J G Morgan c Trott b Carter 21
B J M Scott c Poonia b Martin 37
T J Murtagh c Frost b Woakes 2
M Kartik c Woakes b Maddy 17
A Richardson c Botha b Maddy 6
S T Finn lbw b Martin 1
D Evans not out 1
Extras (b 9, lb 14) 23
Total (63 overs) 170
Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-16, 3-45, 4-95, 5-98, 6-109, 7-153, 8-164, 9-165.
Bowling: Martin 18-5-43-3; Woakes 17-4-31-2; Carter 15-3-49-2; Maddy 12-5-23-3; Trott 1-0-1-0.

Second Innings
D J Malan not out 11
N R D Compton not out 9
Extras 0
Total (no wkt, 8 overs) 20
Bowling: Martin 3-1-10-0; Woakes 3-1-8-0; Botha 1-0-1-0; Salisbury 1-0-1-0.
Umpires: P J Hartley and N G B Cook.