Dexter wickets pin back Lancashire.

Buttler and Smith both made 59 as Lancashire reached their highest first innings total of the season.

Neil Dexter claimed career-best figures of 6-63 on the first day of Lancashire's visit to Lord's to keep the match in the balance after the visitors enjoyed a largely successful day with the bat, as they were bowled out for 266. 

Jos Buttler and Tom Smith both made scores of 59 to provide Lancashire with a respectable total after their top order batsmen all got starts, failing to make signifiant contributions with the bat.

Middlesex inserted Lancashire on a cold and windy morning at the home of cricket hoping to capitalise on the bowler-condusive conditions. At lunch the visitors had been knocked back to 92-4 as the top order struggled to excel after playing themselves in.

Lancashire's top run-scorer, Paul Horton (12), was the first batsman to fall, edging to Ollie Rayner at second slip to supply Toby Roland-Jones with an early breakthrough. Useful contributions from Luis Reece (23) and Karl Brown (25) ensured that Lancashire would keep the scoreboard ticking over, but both batsmen will have been disappointed not to progress beyond mediocre scores.

The visitors had made a good start in testing conditions, but the 30 minutes before lunch proved to be important for Middlesex, as they removed Brown and then Ashwell Prince (17) as Dexter claimed his first two wickets of the day.

Luke Procter (19) and Buttler survived the remaining deliveries before lunch and continued to play well after the interval, earning 54 runs for the fifth wicket, which proved to be the highest partnership of the innings.

Returning from his victory with the England camp, Buttler played with an aggressive temperament as he made his second half-century for Lancashire since joining the club, but not before Procter's determined stay came to an end with Dexter claiming his third scalp.

Buttler brought up his fifty in just 85 balls with successive boundaries off Steven Finn, with Smith now providing useful support to the wicketkeepers cause to reach a rare batting point.

Smith and Buttler were crucial in Lancashire's win at Northants with the bat and they played with confidence as conditions eased in the afternoon session, earning 42 for the sixth-wicket. Buttler's bright innings came to an end at 181-6 with the visitors heading for a respectable score after being forced to bat first.

Smith and skipper, Glen Chapple added a brisk 41 to bolster Lancashire's total in excess of 200, earning a valuable batting point, with Chapple striking 26 runs off 30 balls, before he fell to Finn.

Kyle Hogg (18) demonstrated a professional capacity with the bat, frustrating Middlesex in the evening session in his 38-run stand with Smith, surviving just over an hour before falling LBW to Dexter at 260-8.

With two batting points on the board, Lancashrie's innings was beginning to waver after a series of valuable partnerships and a team effort ensured that they would post their highest first innings total of the season.

Simon Kerrigan fell without scoring to supply Dexter with career-best figures and Smith's attempted slog resulted in Finn claiming 2-60 after a difficult start with the ball and this wicket signalled the end of a balanced first day.