Middlesex captain Toby Roland-Jones admitted it was frustrating to lose inside three days against Essex at Chelmsford.

Set 445 to win after the hosts declared on 319-7 in their second innings - with Josh de Caires completing a 10-wicket match haul - Middlesex collapsed to 55-5 on their way to a 297-run defeat.

John Simpson (32 off 72) and Ryan Higgins (21 off 96) defied Essex for a period of time, but Simon Harmer (5-43), Umesh Yadav (3-32) and Matt Critchley (2-17) got the job done.

“It was frustrating falling short in three days here. First innings, Joshie [De Caires] was massively impressive with the ball, used the conditions, bowled in good control, changed his pace and certainly made life tricky," said Roland-Jones. 

"I thought they probably got 30 runs more [304] than we would have liked in the first innings, but I thought that gave us a way into the game if we could have drummed up a score. 

“But we can be pretty disappointed coming up as short as we did against seam on that wicket. I think our answers on that wicket against a pretty good spin attack were pretty good and I know the guys worked hard getting the tactical and technical side right coming into this match. So frustrating to have fallen short and given ourselves too much to do."

With a 125-run lead on first innings, after Jamie Porter (6-34) and Sam Cook (3-43) had done most damage with the ball, Essex saw Sir Alastair Cook score his second half-century of the match and share a 114-run stand with captain Tom Westley on the third morning.

Critchley then hit a run-a-ball 65 to set up the declaration and Roland-Jones admitted his side did not do enough.

“They played well and sometimes in this game it just takes a little bit of time for the conditions to kick in, being a freshly prepared wicket," he added.

"We spoke enough times when they were going along nicely in that opening stand that once we got one it felt like we might crack it open and gain some momentum. We hung in there during that tough time and made the most of the conditions.

“We’re a bit disappointed we weren’t a bit more obdurate and made life a bit more tricky for them. But they are fighting at the top of the table for a reason. 

"They have got a good attack on all fronts, but at the same time you’ve got to back yourselves to find ways to counter that and be looking to be nice a positive on the flip side. But we fell short there, but we have three more games to try and get that balance right.

“There was a little bit in the middle there where we got outplayed. The way they managed to knuckle down through tough periods it made it tricky for us to make a breakthrough and we just didn’t find enough of that ourselves."

Defeat leaves Middlesex just six points above Kent in the battle for survival, with a trip to Lancashire up next on Sunday.

“We need to go into our last three games confident that we can find a way of winning the game," said Roland-Jones. 

"But on a flip side as a batting line-up we have been a little short of runs and as a bowling unit we need to make it a little easier for those guys coming in by restricting the runs.

"We’re going to need a few guys to put their hands up and put in some performances as well as having that full-on team performance. Hopefully that will be enough to find whatever results are needed in those last three games.”