Gloucestershire strengthened their position at the top of Division Two of the LV County Championship by dominating the opening day of their clash with Middlesex at Bristol.

The visitors were dismissed before tea for only 153 after losing the toss, Jon Lewis taking three for 34 and Steve Kirby, Anthony Ireland and Vikram Banerjee each picking up two wickets.

England captain Andrew Strauss top-scored with 32 at the top of the innings.

In reply, Gloucestershire, again without skipper Alex Gidman because of a back problem, had moved to 144 for three by the close, Ireland skipper William Porterfield making 53 and Craig Spearman 36 not out.

Spearman led the home side as he had done in Tuesday's Friends Provident Trophy win over Notts when Gidman suffered a back spasm in the warm-up.

The New Zealander soon saw his decision to field after winning the toss vindicated as Middlesex plunged to 80 for five at lunch.

They progressed to 21 before Nick Compton was caught behind off Lewis for seven. Strauss looked to be going well before changing his mind over a pull shot off James Franklin and top-edging to Banerjee at mid-wicket.

It was 69 for three when Eoin Morgan (six) was bowled off an inside edge by Kirby, who followed up by having Owais Shah caught off a top-edged pull by Kadeer Ali at deep square for 25.

When Neil Dexter edged Lewis to Hamish Marshall at third slip and departed for six Middlesex were in deep trouble and wickets continued to fall in the afternoon session.

Ireland produced a good spell from the Pavilion End, removing Gareth Berg (29) and Chris Silverwood, while left-arm spinner Banerjee weighed in with the wickets of Shaun Udal and David Burton.

Lewis bowled David Nash, having dismissed Compton and Dexter during the morning session, while Kirby finished with two for 16 from eight overs. He claimed the key wickets of Shah and Morgan.

Steve Finn was unbeaten on 24 at the end, but the Middlesex total looked woefully inadequate on a pitch showing no undue terrors, although the ball did seam and swing early on.

Soon Porterfield and Kadeer Ali were putting things in perspective with an opening stand of 62. It ended when Kadeer, on 21, fell lbw to Dexter, who had dropped him in the slips on 14 off Berg.

Both batsmen needed moments of good fortune, but Porterfield, fresh from World Twenty20 duty with Ireland, also played some fluent shots in reaching his half-century off 99 balls, with 8 fours.

He fell soon afterwards to a thin edge off Finn, but although Marshall also departed for 18, Spearman ensured it was clearly Gloucestershire's day.