Middlesex beat Gloucestershire by 180 runs in the County Championship match at Lord's to claim their second win of the season and avenge a nine-wicket defeat by the west country side at Bristol in mid-June.

Medium-pacer Gareth Berg proved the undoing of the visitors, returning career-best figures of five for 55 as the visitors were dismissed for 225 runs despite a gallant unbeaten 80 from James Franklin.

Berg carved through Gloucestershire after lunch, enjoying a spell of three for three in 10 balls to speed his side on to victory having posted notice of his prowess and incisiveness before lunch when he struck twice in two deliveries.

Gloucestershire started the day requiring a further and unlikely 351 runs for victory but with only seven second-innings wickets intact after Tim Murtagh had claimed two victims late on the third day to give the home side control of the game and leave their opponents with their backs to the wall at 55 for three.

Kadeer Ali and Chris Taylor had just extended their fourth-wicket partnership to 52 runs when Steven Finn broke the alliance in the sixth over of the day having Taylor caught for 25 by wicketkeeper Ben Scott.

Kadeer was joined by Franklin with the duo comfortably countering the home attack until Berg made his mark on proceedings.

In his third over of the day, he had the Gloucestershire opener caught by Nick Compton for 48 in the gully and then with his next ball knocked back the middle stump of Steve Adshead to leave the batsman reflecting on a first ball dismissal.

At lunch, the visitors were 151 for six but with Franklin already showing commanding determination on 36 not out. The New Zealand all-rounder never looked in any trouble, batting for two hours and 40 minutes overall and striking 11 boundaries that included a six from the 112 deliveries he faced, but few of his colleagues could match his resolution.

Richard Dawson did join him in a 78-run stand for the seventh wicket that temporarily frustrated Middlesex's victory march until Berg inflicted further rapid damage with a trio of victims. Dawson, on 35, fell to a magnificent catch by Dawid Malan at third slip with the score on 196 and three balls later and without addition, Ian Saxelby touched a sharply lifting delivery into the gloves of Scott.

In his next over, Berg had Jon Lewis caught behind for four and although Franklin posted one last hurrah, striking Murtagh for four and six off successive deliveries, it was Murtagh that wrapped up proceedings when Steve Kirby steered the ball into the hands of Neil Dexter in the slip cordon leaving Franklin unbeaten.

The defeat represented Gloucestershire's fifth reverse in seven championship matches and dents the promotion hopes of the west country side who had led Division Two at the end of June and collected just four points from this match.

In contrast, Middlesex, who started the match propping up the division and who failed to record a single success in their first 10 outings in the competition, have now tasted success in two of their last three games and have climbed off the foot of the table thanks to their haul of 20 points from the game.