Warwickshire 342 and 58 for 2 (Chopra 31*) lead Middlesex 260 (Compton 74) by 140 runs Scorecard
On a day when those old-school virtues of patience and judgment were suddenly being pined for up at Headingley, what England might have given for some of Nick Compton's obduracy at the head of their futile rearguard.
Compton's ship has surely sailed as far as an England recall is concerned, as the game hurtles on into a new, thrill-a-minute era, yet his three-and-a-half hour 74, on a capricious two-paced Lord's pitch, provided Middlesex with the stability that even the most attack-minded sides still require.
His efforts, coupled with a vital ninth-wicket stand of 47 between Neil Dexter and Toby Roland-Jones, have given Middlesex the means to ensure a fourth-day stalemate - a prospect that, at 123 for 4 and later 206 for 8, was far from being a formality.
"It is tough out there," said Compton. "The wicket has been slightly over-prepared because of the [New Zealand] Test, they left it for a while and haven't done a lot to it. But I really enjoyed batting out there. It's a fine margin on wickets like that, working out what lines to play, you can get really intrinsic with it, and I enjoyed that. It was a good challenge."
The difficult nature of the wicket was demonstrated in the evening session as Warwickshire, seeking to build on a handy first-innings lead of 82, were restricted to 58 for 2 in 24.2 overs. Ateeq Javid was the first man to fall for 8, squirting a fast flat edge off James Harris to James Franklin at first slip, who appeared to wedge the ball between his thighs.
Five overs later, Jonathon Webb completed his Championship debut by being bowled by Harris for 4, whereupon Jonathan Trott was greeted with a brute of a lifter from Neil Dexter that rapped him on the hand - albeit a sweet straight drive from Dexter's very next ball was a classy riposte.
Compton, who had resumed on his overnight 5, also endured his moments of awkwardness, not least on 43 when he required lengthy treatment after Boyd Rankin had thumped him on the glove. But in between whiles, he showed impeccable judgment outside off stump, providing a sheet anchor as his team-mates attempted to follow the example of Warwickshire's own batsmen, and keep the runs flowing in spite of the risks that entailed.
He lost his overnight partner, Sam Robson, early on, caught by Chopra at first slip after adding four runs to his overnight 26, but Eoin Morgan, the England one-day captain whose young, positive, attack-minded ODI squad was announced midway through the evening session, emerged with intent at No. 4, taking the lead in a 70-run stand for the third wicket.
Morgan cracked eight fours in a 62-ball stay to warm himself up nicely in his first Championship innings since the IPL, but just when it seemed he had got the measure of the attack and the conditions, he gave himself away limply with a pull to deep fine leg off Keith Barker, whom he had just cracked for two boundaries in the same over.
Two balls later, Franklin was gone for a duck, cleaned up by a beauty from Rikki Clarke that nipped and left him, and Compton's determination to see the job through was matched by that of his partner, Dexter, who would finish unbeaten on 47 from 116 balls. Their stand of 69 kiboshed the very real threat of the follow-on, but the loss of three quick wickets before tea reopened the prospect of an awkward second-innings scenario.
Compton was the first of the trio to fall, succumbing to a bouncer from Rankin who, confusingly, had been overlooked for the first 44 overs of Middlesex's innings despite the up-and-down nature of the surface surely suiting his lanky methods.
Rankin's first three overs rather justified Chopra's reticence, as he served up a diet of full tosses and half volleys to be dispatched for 29 runs. But his aggression eventually paid off, and with the anchor extracted, Clarke popped up at the other end to make short work of Ollie Rayner and Harris, as Middlesex lost four wickets for 14 in ten overs to slide into a touch of peril.
But into the fray strode the imposing figure of Roland-Jones, who opted to have a swing at most deliveries in his half of the pitch and his ambition paid handsome dividends. With 32 from 30 balls he dominated a key stand with the steadfast Dexter, before Rankin returned to finish with 3 for 52.
With an overnight lead of 140 and eight wickets still standing, Warwickshire have the means to set a testing target, assuming they fancy a roll of the dice. There's enough in the track to suggest a result isn't entirely out of the question.
