Middlesex reduced Gloucestershire to 196 for nine on day two of their LV County Championship Division Two clash at Lord's in a match disrupted by four rain breaks.

Wrist spinner Murali Kartik, who took three for 44, and right-arm seamer Tim Murtagh, who bagged three for 57, did most of the damage to leave Gloucestershire trailing by 146 at stumps.

Former skipper Chris Taylor salvaged the visitors' innings somewhat with a patient, if somewhat fortunate, 65 as Gloucestershire replied to the Middlesex total of 342 in a day which saw 18 overs lost to rain and bad light.

Murtagh, getting the ball to swing and seam, ran through the top order and the wickets continued to tumble when Rob Woodman steered a rising ball from Steve Finn to Dawid Malan at third slip.

James Franklin fell to a slower ball from Finn and Steven Adshead was snaffled up a short leg by Sam Robson, but the fielder appeared to pick up an injury in the process and limped off the field for the remainder of the day.

Taylor was twice dropped on 64, first by Murtagh at mid-off off Kartik and then again by Robson at short leg off the unfortunate Finn, but his luck ran out soon after when Kartik finally got his man.

After scoring only a single in 30 minutes, Taylor looked to shape to run Kartik down to third man only to well caught by Finn in the gully to give Middlesex a third wicket in 23 balls for the loss of just one run.

Ian Saxelby and Jonathan Lewis helped push the visiting score to 178 before Saxelby shouldered arms to be bowled by Kartik, leaving Kirby to play out the remainder of the day.

The second day, played under leaden skies in contrast to yesterday's sunshine, had started with Middlesex resuming on their overnight score of 307 for six.

But hopes of maximum batting bonus points were quashed within 42 minutes as Middlesex lost their last four wickets for 35 runs in 8.2 overs.

Neil Dexter, after a deserved 50 from 51 balls, edged a rising delivery to the keeper.

Kartik then popped a bat-pad catch to short leg before Shaun Udal, having hit two fours off Steve Kirby's first over of day, mistimed a pull against the same bowler to hole out to Saxelby at long leg.

Finn was the last man out, run out when attempting a dangerous second run by a direct hit from Alex Gidman.