COOL, clean hitting by Will Porterfield and James Franklin kept Gloucestershire's flickering FPt20 hopes alive, writes Peter Orchard.
Dawid Malan smashed 86 from 44 deliveries for the hosts - including six sixes - but Middlesex's total of 185 for eight always looked surpassable on a sun-scorched Uxbridge outfield.
So it proved, as Porterfield struck a quickfire 79 and Franklin an unbeaten 51 as Alex Gidman's New-style Christian Louboutin Shoes men triumphed with four balls to spare.
England's much-vaunted Ashes secret weapon Steven Finn was dispatched to all parts by Gloucestershire openers Porterfield and Aaron Redmond.
Finn shipped 30 runs from his opening two-over burst, while Porterfield had reached a half-century off only 21 balls as Gloucestershire ended the Powerplay on 78 without loss.
ceramic hairstyling ironMiddlesex got their first breakthrough immediately after the fielding restrictions were lifted, Neil Dexter cleaning up Redmond for 20, and the same bowler struck two overs later when Hamish Marshall (5) nicked behind to Ben Scott.
Porterfield's dismissal was an unfortunate one, run out backing up by a diving Tom Smith, and it ended a superb 32-ball knock that contained seven fours and three sixes.
That could have derailed the chase, but only 26 more were needed for victory when Chris Taylor (27) was snared by Dexter at midwicket off Jackson Thompson in the 16th over.
Australian David Warner (1) had been first to perish in the Middlesex innings, caught and bowled by Steve Kirby off a leading edge in the second over. Kirby showed his fielding prowess to dispose of former Gloucestershire team-mate Thompson (14), clinging onto a steepling catch off Anthony Ireland, but Owais Shah and Malan ensured the hosts' total had reached 50 by the end of the Powerplay.
Shah was looking ominous, but a brilliant diving take by Gemaal Hussain at deep midwicket sent him packing for 27 off 21 deliveries and gave Richard Dawson a wicket in his first over.
That brought Dexter to the middle, and he was every bit as destructive as Malan - particularly square of the wicket - as the Gladiators temporarily lost control.
The pair had mustered 85 from 51 deliveries when Dexter (38) tried to smash Kirby for a second six of the 16th over and picked out Porterfield at long-off.
Tyron Henderson (10) was next to go, scooping Ireland to the reliable Marshall in the deep, and Middlesex's anxiety to reach 200 produced carnage in the 20th Replica Breitling Swiss Navitimer/Montbrillant Watches over as both Scott (0) and Smith (1) were run out and star man Malan was bowled by Kirby.
MORE CRICKET, P37
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