It was never going to be easy for Warwickshire to squeeze a win out of this match and in the end, despite the beautiful weather during the last two days, the loss of an entire second day proved decisive.
While the ball was still relatively new and hard, they were in with a shout as Hampshire, 158 behind on first innings, slumped to 76 for four and later 112 for five with plenty of overs still to bowl, and the possibility that the injured Reece Topley might not be available to bat. The pitch stayed true, though, a good surface, particularly given the time of year and the trouble that the erratic weather has given groundsmen, and, although there was a little turn for Jeetan Patel, it was not enough to do any further damage.
By the time hands were shaken and stumps were pulled Hampshire, at 185 for five, had got their noses in front with Liam Dawson, 50, and Adam Wheater, 34, having added 73 for the sixth wicket. Warwickshire take 12 points and Hampshire nine from their opening County Championship Division One game.
Both teams were inconvenienced by the loss of frontline bowlers. Topley had it confirmed by a specialist that the bouncer which hit his hand had indeed broken it in one place and, although it will not require surgery, it will be six to eight weeks before he is likely to play again. Chris Woakes, too, sat out the final day and, although his lbw dismissal to the final ball of the third day had caused him to hobble from the field, it is apparently a tweaked hamstring that is the problem.
The Warwickshire seamers did a better collective job early on than they had in the first innings, with Michael Carberry going to Keith Barker for the second time in the match, Tom Alsop well taken at short-leg from Boyd Rankin, the fielder deepish in the style of James Taylor, and James Vince lbw to the first ball of a new spell from Rikki Clarke. Vince, in particular, had an opportunity to bat some time and start to build a case for international inclusion. He generally looked in good order, with no extravagant early movement, which is in itself refreshing to see. But scores of 25 and 21 in the match are not going to make anyone sit up.
Meanwhile Patel had gained an lbw decision against Will Smith and later, as Liam Dawson and Sean Ervine appeared to be building a comfortable partnership, the latter was caught behind, the stroke inappropriate to the situation. It was a second wicket for Barker who was the pick of the Warwickshire bowlers throughout.
The morning had belonged to Ian Bell, who took his overnight 130 to 174 before he was bamboozled by a clever slower ball from the left-armer James Tomlinson and, his right hand off the handle, lofted a steepler to mid-on. On the third day he had been determined, doubly so, to make his innings count but now, with an imperative for his side to push on and place some pressure on Hampshire, he was able to loosen his stays a little.
Fidel Edwards was upper-cut over the slips and Dawson’s left-arm spin reverse swept and belted over midwicket, a stroke he was loth to employ when the bowler delivered maiden after maiden to him as he approached his hundred on Tuesday.
Altogether it was a classy innings, spread over seven hours, a reminder that with the probability of places to be claimed in the England top five, it will take a very good player, or excellent judgment matched to intuition on the part of selectors, to push Bell’s claim aside.
