Middlesex build on dominant position.

Bad light and rain halted the Middlsex onslaught. 

Middlesex will commence the fourth and final day of their LV County Championship match versus Lancashire with every reason to achieve their third win of the season after assuming a lead of 197 runs before claiming a late wicket to unsettle the visitors.

Eoin Morgan (103) completed his first century since 2009 and further runs from John Simpson (50) and Ollie Rayner (77) in a partnership worth 117 runs for the seventh-wicket helped Middlesex to mount a daunting first innings lead.

Lancashire recovered slightly, claiming three wickets for just ten runs as Kyle Hogg claimed 3-48 on return from injury, but the efforts of Simpson and Rayner ensured that the hosts would finish the third day in the ascendancy.

Morgan resumed on 76 not out and soon found his feet, striking 12 boundaries on his way to a 188-ball century and Neil Dexter (51) made a half-century to take the fourth-wicket stand to 117 runs.

The hosts lost their way after suffering the loss of three wickets for ten runs, but Simpson and Rayner took the offensive route and rebuilt the Middlesex innings towards an imposing score as the Lancashire bowlers struggled to claim any wickets thereafter.

The pair were both approaching half-centuries before tea and advanced past this milestone soon after the interval. But the search for quick runs eventually resulted in both men losing their wicket, with Glen Chapple and Simon Kerrigan finally picking up wickets.

At 459-8, Middlesex decided they had enough runs on the board and were keen to stick Lancashire in for a substantial period in the evening session with, light deteriorating. But this bad light soon turned to rain and the hosts assault was momentarily halted by the weather.

When play resumed just ten overs remained in the day, but Middlesex were able to carry the momentum with the bat on to the field claiming the late wicket of Luis Reece who was trapped LBW by Tim Murtagh to supply the hosts with a simpler task tomorrow morning, with Lancashire still trailing by 178 runs after reaching 15-1 at close.