Report: Warwickshire v Hampshire, LV= Insurance County Championship

Day Four

Warwickshire suffered a narrow 60-run defeat to Hampshire in a thrilling LV= Insurance County Championship encounter at Edgbaston. 

Going into the final day, with Warwickshire starting on 139/2, the equation was set. The Bears needed 157 runs and Hampshire needed 8 wickets, with the latter being pulled off, as Warwickshire were bowled out for 235. 

The Bears made a resilient start to the chase in the morning, managing to hold off some threatening bowling from Hampshire on a pitch which they injected some life into after it looked to be flattening out in the sun. However, three wickets fell in the morning session to put Hampshire on the front foot. 

Rob Yates, after gritting through his innings was trapped lbw by James Fuller for 77 from 229 balls in a debatable decision, which seemed to change the tone of the Warwickshire innings. 

Shortly after, Sam Hain was caught behind for 18 off the bowling of Mohammad Abbas who returned to the field after his ankle injury the previous evening. Will Rhodes fell to the same dismissal, caught behind off Abbas for 17, as Warwickshire went into lunch on 195/5. 

After the lunch interval, Hampshire put themselves firmly in the driving seat, as Warwickshire lost their final five wickets for just 23 runs, as the visitors never let any partnership damage their chances of victory. 

Matthew Lamb, who looked to be playing through some back pain, remained resilient throughout the collapse around him, but the Warwickshire lower order couldn’t provide the support necessary to see them over the line. 

Michael Burgess gave Keith Barker, the former Bear, his first wicket of the innings, as Burgess edged behind for 11. Danny Briggs, then followed, trapped lbw by Fuller for his second wicket. 

Next ball, Liam Dawson came into the attack and got the eighth wicket, of Craig Miles, edging to first slip without scoring, as Dawson finished with impressive figures of 3-42. He was not out of the game yet either, in the next over Liam Norwell was ran out in a contentious decision that saw Warwickshire reduced to 233/9. 

The game was wrapped up by Brad Wheal getting Chemar Holder edging behind, with Hampshire taking the win with an all-round excellent bowling effort on day 4. 

The result sees Hampshire go to 38.5 points, with Warwickshire going to 36 points in Division 1, in a County Championship that is still all to play for. 

Day Three

A compelling finale awaits at Edgbaston where Warwickshire closed the third day on 139 for two in pursuit of 296 to beat Hampshire in the LV=Insurance County Championship. 

An extraordinary match which began with 20 wickets falling on the first day has offered tougher toil for the bowlers with every passing hour. 

After Hampshire’s second innings ended at 322, ninth-wicket pair Keith Barker and Brad Wheal having added 93, home openers Rob Yates (70 not out, 199 balls) and Dom Sibley (47, 160) added 99 in 50 overs.  

But spinner Liam Dawson then struck twice to keep the visitors very much in the match. The Bears, who will remain top of the table if they win, have plenty still to do, though Hampshire, already without the injured Kyle Abbott, suffered another blow when pace spearhead Mohammad Abbas limped off just before tea. 

Hampshire’s second innings finally ended just before lunch on day three at 322,  a strong recovery from 173 for seven. After resuming on 260 for eight, former Edgbaston favourite Barker (75, 192 balls) and Wheal (a career-best 46 not out, 144 balls) stretched their stand to 42 overs before the former lifted Chemar Holder to Chris Benjamin at point. 

On a flattening pitch, Briggs then rounded off the innings by having Abbas caught close in by Yates to leave Warwickshire a target of 296 in five sessions and two overs.  

Yates and Sibley negotiated the potentially awkward two overs before lunch and then another 33 between lunch and tea. They concentrated hard and left skilfully to post a half-century partnership in 29 overs, reached when Yates flicked Abbas to the fine leg fence, only the fifth boundary of the innings. 

Deprived of Abbas from mid-afternoon, Hampshire’s attack persevered impressively to ensure that, though wickets were not falling, runs arrived slowly enough to keep them in the game. The opening stand was worth 99 in the 51st over when Sibley, on a rare foray into attack, skied an attempted sweep at Dawson and wicketkeeper Alsop accepted the simplest of catches beside the stumps. 

Dawson then quickly added the wicket of Benjamin who tried to increase the scoring rate but perished in the attempt when he was caught by Barker at mid on. Yates and Sam Hain defended through the last nine overs to the close and a match which has been finely balanced throughout remains so heading into the final day. 

Day Two

A compelling LV=Insurance County Championship contest is unfolding at Edgbaston where Hampshire closed the second day on 260 for eight in their second innings, 233 ahead of Warwickshire. 

A fluctuating third day was heading the home side’s way when they had Hampshire 208 for eight, just 181 in front, but former Edgbaston favourite Keith Barker dug in with Brad Wheal to add an unbroken 52 up to stumps. 

After taking a five-for on the first day, Barker continued to impede his former team-mates’ title bid with an unbeaten 49 (124  balls) with power to add. Warwickshire will face an awkward chase in pursuit of a victory which would keep them top of the championship table. 

On a hot afternoon, Liam Norwell led the Bears bowling manfully with four for 64 while Danny Briggs wheeled away skilfully for 36-17-38-2 but their injury-hit attack was exposed as other bowlers, notably home debutant Chemar Holder, struggled for control.  

After the freak clatter of wickets on the first day, a good pitch was put into proper perspective on the second when wickets had to be much harder-earned. Trailing by 27 on first innings, Hampshire resumed on 41 without loss and took the score to 55 before Norwell made the breakthrough. The big-hearted paceman swung one in to win an lbw appeal against Joe Weatherley (24, 53 balls). 

Ian Holland and Tom Alsop added 54 before the Bears struck a double blow just before lunch.  Holland (44, 93 balls)  edged Norwell to Rob Yates at slip and then Briggs got one to lift at Nick Gubbins and Will Rhodes took a sharp catch at slip. 

Briggs bowled with great control after lunch and added the scalp of Alsop (33, 93 balls), adroitly stumped by Michael Burgess, before Norwell trapped Liam Dawson lbw. 

James Vince batted diligently for 48 (67 balls, seven fours) and it was a surprise when he perished carelessly when he pulled Craig Miles to Matt Lamb at long leg. Four balls later, Miles hit the middle stump of James Fuller but the Bears were held up by the obdurate Felix Organ who went into tea unbeaten on three from 72 minutes batting and made 16 in exactly two hours before falling lbw to Norwell. 

That was 208 for eight but Barker batted with great composure and Wheal supported him ably in the last hour to tilt this tight and intriguing match Hampshire’s way. 

Day One

The seamers of Warwickshire and Hampshire made hay as 20 wickets fell on an extraordinary opening day of their LV=Insurance County Championship game at Edgbaston. 

After the start was delayed by an hour while the ECB decided it was safe for the match to be played in light of a positive Covid test in the Hampshire camp, the bowlers soon prospered. 

Hampshire, put in, were all out for 89 before lunch, losing their last nine wickets for 45 runs as Will Rhodes took five for 23, Liam Norwell two for 13 and Craig Miles two for 25.  

But they struck back to bowl top-of-the-table Warwickshire out for 116 (Mohammad Abbas five for 29, Keith Barker five for 43). Sam Hain (41, 102 balls) was the only batsman to pass 30 all day. 

Hampshire reached 41 without loss – 24 in front – in their second innings at the close of a day which warranted a visit not from a pitch inspector but a batting inspector. The track offered seamers some help, but nothing like as much suggested by the wicketfest. Both sides were guilty of shots of an aggression ill-suited to the match situation. 

After Warwickshire chose to bowl and Miles trapped Joe Weatherley lbw in the fifth over, Ian Holland and Tom Alsop took Hampshire to 44 for one before the innings imploded. 

Rhodes was the catalyst with wickets in his first three overs. An away-cutter found Alsop’s edge through to wicketkeeper Michael Burgess before Nick Gubbins and Liam Dawson slashed cuts to point. 

Chemar Holder took his first wicket for the Bears when Holland (28, 46 balls) edged to slip before Felix Organ edged to third slip where Chris Benjamin parried the ball to Rob Yates at first. 

After Norwell added wickets with successive balls, James Vince’s counter-attack ended when he skied Rhodes to fine leg where Norwell judged a steepling catch brilliantly.  

Barker then soon inflicted damage on his former team-mates, removing Yates lbw and Benjamin, caught at second slip. Abbas had Dom Sibley and Rhodes caught in the cordon from successive balls, and when Matt Lamb nicked Barker, it was 26 for five. 

Hain dug in but only Burgess, in a stand of 61 in 21 overs, offered much support before Abbas and Barker muscled through the lower order. 

Curiously after the double clatter, Weatherley and Holland then survived 11 overs with few alarms to take their side in front.