Toby Roland-Jones sparked a dramatic Glamorgan collapse as Middlesex pressed for victory on the third day of their vital LV= Insurance County Championship clash at Lord’s.

Division 2s leading wicket-taker took two wickets in four balls among figures of 3-46 as the visitors capitulated from 123-0 to 144-6

Tim Murtagh (2-37) and Ethan Bamber (2-36) also picked up wickets amid the carnage as Glamorgan limped to 191-8 before bad light ended play five overs before the scheduled close.

David Lloyd (70) and Edward Byrom (47) had given Glamorgan a dream start to their second innings before the collapse ensued. All this came after 76 from John Simpson and Luke Hollman’s 58 took Middlesex to 390 in the morning session, a first innings lead of 176, James Harris taking 5-90 and Ajaz Patel 3-68.

There was little sign of the impending drama when Lloyd and Byrom were 123-0 shortly before tea, having feasted on some friendly offerings from a seemingly out of sorts host attack.

Lloyd, who has been short of runs at the top of the order played fluently, square-driving Bamber to the fence at point before a disdainful pull from the bowling of Ryan Higgins took him to a rapid 50 – all this despite a leg injury which impeded his running between the wickets.

Opening partner Byrom was given a life first ball when edging to Hollman at third slip off the bowling of Roland-Jones, the all-rounder failing to grasp the chance away to his left.

The left-hander survived another scare when playing no shot to a Ryan Higgins in-swinger, but that apart drove the ball nicely and looked in little trouble.

Ten minutes before the tea-break Lloyd inexplicably guided a Bamber delivery into the hands of gully, but there seemed little cause for alarm.

However, Roland-Jones broke the game open with two wickets in the first over after tea. The first had an element of luck as Byrom middled a leg-stump half-volley straight to square leg, while Sam Northeast lasted just three balls before edging through to Simpson.

All of a sudden there were four slips. Roland-Jones would have had a third wicket in the spell had Max Holden clung on to what would have been a blinder of a catch after another loose shot from Kiran Carlson. The batter though didn’t make the most of his reprieve, recklessly slashing a Murtagh delivery into the hands of Stephen Eskinazi.

Loose shot disease was catching as Billy Root drove Bamber to Robson at slip and Shubman Gill perished too, trying to turn a ball from Murtagh on the onside only to get an edge which flew to Hollman in the gully.

James Harris and Chris Cooke briefly threatened to dig in, but Roland-Jones returned to have the former caught behind and when Cooke was pinned lbw by Higgins Middlesex scented victory in three days.

But Robson dropped Patel at slip as Glamorgan hung on until bad light intervened.

Earlier, Middlesex resumed on 286-5 with a lead of 72, but neither overnight batter lasted long.

Simpson had already been given a life on 75 when Billy Root dropped a straightforward catch at deep square off the bowling of Harris, before he was bowled by Michael Hogan.

Ryan Higgins followed an over later when a beauty from Harris swung in before deviating off the pitch and plucking out the middle stump.

Glamorgan though were frustrated by the latest late-middle order gem of an innings from Hollman, typified by a gorgeous square drive off Lloyd for four.

The all-rounder twice reversed swept Patel to the fine-leg fence en route to an excellent 50, celebrated in the grand manner by launching the spinner over long-on for six.

Speaking at close of play, Middlesex seamer Toby Roland-Jones said: “It was a really satisfying day. There was some really good attritional cricket out there.

“Credit to Glamorgan, they came out and batted really nicely with their first-wicket partnership, but we had that sense of belief that if we stuck to it and got one that things might start rolling.

“Maybe we didn’t expect it to happen quite in that fashion, but I think it is just the power of momentum sometimes. All four of us seamers knew we needed to bed in, stick to pretty simple plans and once the wicket came to clamp down and make life as tricky as possible.

“We’ve put ourselves in a phenomenally good position now. They have two guys left who can hold a bat out there, so we’ve got to stick to our guns and do the right things.”

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