Leicestershire make light work

Jim Allenby raised the tempo of his innings after the tea break

An outstanding fourth-wicket partnership of 124 between Matthew Boyce and Jim Allenby steered Leicestershire to a comfortable victory over Middlesex in Division Two of the LV County Championship at Grace Road.

The home side were set a target of 166 in a minimum of 61 overs and, though they endured some early problems, Leicestershire eventually eased home by six wickets with more than nine overs of the day's play remaining.

Boyce, in only his second Championship game for Leicestershire, played the anchor role as he made a tidy 66, his second half-century of the match.

Allenby was the more aggressive, finishing unbeaten on 69 as he gradually raised the tempo with the finishing post approaching after tea.

The pair came together with plenty of work to do as their side had slipped into trouble at 36 for three, both first-innings century-makers Tom New and Hylton Ackerman already back in the pavilion.

Boyce and Allenby showed great patience, however, in the face of some testing seam bowling from Middlesex, backed by the wily off-spin of Shaun Udal.

Nadeem Malik claimed five wickets for his new county

At tea, with Leicestershire on 51 for three, the game was still in the balance, but the fourth-wicket pair gradually built a solid platform from which their side could complete a morale-boosting victory.

Boyce perished with just six runs required as he chipped a simple catch to cover off Udal, but it was fitting that Allenby should complete victory with the seventh boundary of his 93-ball knock, which also included two mighty leg-side sixes.

Leicestershire had begun the day in a position of considerable strength, with Middlesex struggling on 112 for five in their second innings, a slender lead of just 19.

The chances of a home victory increased considerably when Owais Shah fell in only the second over of play, having added just a single to his overnight 49.

David Nash and Tim Murtagh defied the home attack before they eventually followed Shah, but from 170 for eight, Middlesex launched a counter-attack which put Leicestershire on the back foot for the first time since the opening day.

Udal made an enterprising 55, adding 84 in just 16 overs with Chris Silverwood, who finished unbeaten on 33.

But the second new ball ended the Middlesex resistance shortly after lunch, with Nadeem Malik claiming the final two wickets to finish with 5-51.