It was fitting that Hampshire's first Rose Bowl hat-trick was taken by Southampton-born Billy Taylor.

Nearly a year after last playing for his home county in the championship, Taylor wasted no time in writing himself into the Hampshire record books after being recalled to the side by Shane Warne in the Australian's first game back as captain.

Taylor, one of three Hampshire-born players in this week's team, has not been injured during his time out of the first team.

He has taken several wickets for the second XI and yesterday he recorded career-best figures of 6-32 as Middlesex were dismissed for 98, the lowest championship total in The Rose Bowl's five-year history.

Taylor's haul included a hat trick of victims in his seventh over, the 19th of the match, as Middlesex collapsed from 52-3 to 52-6.

Nick Compton, Paul Weekes and Ben Scott all departed in successive balls.

Taylor's previous best performance was the 6-45 he took in the first match of last season at The Rose Bowl against Gloucestershire and his latest haul has raised questions as to why he has not featured for so long.

Whatever the reason, he showed why Paul Terry signed him from Sussex two and a half years ago by taking his first five wickets in the space of 16 balls.

Richard Logan and Chris Tremlett have been preferred to him so far this season but Taylor will now be difficult to dislodge from the Hampshire attack.

The in-form James Bruce took the prize scalp of England batsman Andrew Strauss - the left hander was trapped lbw by the third ball of the match. And after bowling three overs for 13 runs without success from the Northern End, Taylor sliced his way through the Middlesex top order from the Pavilion End, in a nine-over spell of 6-19.

Middlesex captain Ben Hutton, who had lost the toss, and Ed Smith put on 50 for the second wicket before the latter was trapped leg before in Taylor's fifth over.

Three balls later Taylor struck again with a near unplayable delivery that bounced and left Jamie Dalrymple, and then nicked his outside edge on the way through to Nic Pothas.

Two overs later and Taylor was celebrating the third hat-trick of his career.

Compton was caught at short leg by John Crawley, then former tree surgeon Taylor uprooted Weekes's middle stump. Scott became the third victim of Taylor's hat-trick when he played on.

England and Wales Cricket Board pitch liaison officer Tony Pigott refused to make public his verdict on the wicket but Middlesex coach John Emburey acknowledged that his side were guilty of poor shot selection, while Hampshire "put the ball in the right areas".

Middlesex's tail wagged briefly. Johan Louw helped add 23 for the seventh wicket with a straight six off Sean Ervine before he lofted a simple catch to Bruce at mid off, but Chris Silverwood became the sixth Middlesex batsman to depart without scoring when he slashed Taylor to point.

Melvyn Betts was well caught at backward point by Michael Carberry and the visitors were all out for the Rose Bowl's lowest first class score since Australia's 97 in 2001when Ben Hutton, who faced 91 balls in two and a half hours for his 24, failed to carry his bat.

A magnificent day for Hampshire got even better as Crawley (55), Dominic Thornely and Nic Pothas all struck half centuries as the county secured their first batting point of the season.

Jimmy Adams had been caught at second slip in the sixth over of Hampshire's reply, and the in form Carberry struck 29 from 41 balls, including a six over long leg, after being promoted to open in the absence of former Middlesex batsman Michael Brown, who effectively made way for Shane Warne.

Ervine made a fluent 34 after being promoted to number four and Thornely and Pothas ensured an overnight lead of 164 with an unbroken 104-run partnership.