Crisis county Middlesex beat Essex as expected at Lord's by an innings and 38 runs - but it took them a session and a half to take the remaining six wickets needed to complete victory.

A petition signed by approximately 180 Middlesex members had expressed no confidence in the club's leadership, and particularly captain Ed Smith, during their last Championship match against Derbyshire.

But Smith gave the best possible answer by following up last week's six-wicket win with this mammoth victory - the first over Essex at Lord's since 1988.

The visitors had resumed on 200 for four, still trailing by 222 runs, and avoided further mishap for 40 minutes, allowing Ryan ten Doeschate to reach a 69-ball half-century, his first of the season in LV County Championship Division Two.

But his partnership with Mark Pettini that had produced 120 runs ended when Pettini, having advanced his overnight score from 63 to 75, drove a delivery from Tim Murtagh into the hands of Shaun Udal at mid-wicket.

James Foster joined Ten Doeschate to offer further resistance as the pair put on 44 in just over an hour before the second new ball proved the downfall of both batsmen.

Essex had reached 282 for five when Murtagh took the new ball and, bowling from the Pavilion End, struck with his second delivery by pinning Foster in the crease for 28.

Then, in his next over, Murtagh found a delivery that kept low to end Ten Doeschate's three-hour vigil for 78 shortly before Essex went to lunch on 297 for seven - still 125 short of making the hosts bat again.

Murtagh soon claimed his fourth wicket of the innings to take his tally for the match into double figures when he struck with the second ball after the resumption - James Middlebrook falling leg before for eight.

The bowler had taken three for five in 19 balls either side of lunch, but he was then subjected to some harsh treatment from ninth-wicket pair of Alex Tudor and David Masters.

Murtagh went for 28 runs as the pair put on a breezy 59 runs in 55 balls, with 44 runs coming from boundaries, before Dirk Nannes ended the frolic by removing Masters who had reached 27 when his leg stump was removed.

The last rites were administered by spinner Shaun Udal who had Danish Kaneria caught in the deep for 15 after the last-wicket pair had added 28, taking Essex to 384 all out and leaving Tudor unbeaten on 47.

Murtagh finished with match figures of 10 for 127 as Middlesex took the full haul of 22 points from the match while Essex were left with just a solitary one.

It was the first time in 11 home meetings that Middlesex had beaten Essex at Lord's in the County Championship, the last time being in 1988.