Middlesex off the mark

Neil Dexter goes aerial en route to 73 that underpinned Middlesex's first 2009 win

Neil Dexter hit his highest score in 35 Twenty20 matches as Cup holders Middlesex finally broke their duck in their eighth game in the South Division and left Essex sweating on a place in the quarter-finals.

Dexter, who spent a month on loan with Essex last season before joining Middlesex from Kent, struck 73 off 51 balls at Lord's with six fours and four sixes, two of them driven down the ground in one over from leg-spinner Danish Kaneria.

Kaneria, playing his last game for Essex before joining Pakistan for their Test series in Sri Lanka, got his revenge by having Dexter swiftly stumped by James Foster, but by then Owais Shah had joined him in a second-wicket partnership of 100 in only 12 overs.

Shah made 49 off 39 balls with three fours and two sixes before driving Kaneria to long-on and though Middlesex managed to score only 38 from their last five overs their total of 166 for five was too much for Essex.

The visitors had thrashed Middlesex by eight wickets at Chelmsford on Monday and crushed Surrey by 84 runs at the Brit Oval last night, but they had lost Alastair Cook and Ravi Bopara, who are now with the England squad preparing for the Ashes.

Varun Chopra did his best to compensate for their absence with 51 off 42 balls, including five fours, but he needed much more support from the other end and it was not forthcoming.

Mark Pettini, who had scored 80 not out and 87 in his previous two innings, was brilliantly caught and bowled by Steve Finn, the 6ft 7in fast bowler, in his follow-through before Graham Napier and Matthew Walker holed out to midwicket in successive overs.

Napier hoisted Gareth Berg to Dexter on the midwicket boundary and Walker did the same thing against Tyron Henderson.

Grant Flower and James Foster gave Essex some hope but, once Flower was bowled by Shaun Udal and Foster was stumped off Dawid Malan, they were doomed to only their third defeat.