Vice Captain Ed Barnard says he was “speechless” as Warwickshire completed one of their most dramatic ever victories over Durham at Chester-le-Street.
Bears, chasing 339 for victory on the final day, slipped to 90/5 at Lunch on the final day.
But a sublime century from Barnard, which included a wicket-less afternoon session as part of a 147-run partnership with Kai Smith, set up a thrilling conclusion.
In a topsy-turvy final session, it was left to the last pair of Ethan Bamber and Vishwa Fernando to seal the win by the narrowest of margins.
It’s only the 11th time in Warwickshire’s history that they’ve won a County Championship fixture by one wicket.
“It’s pretty incredible really, I’m pretty speechless right now,” centurion Barnard said. “That sort of 45 minutes to an hour was as tense as it gets really.
“I think from both teams, they played brilliantly and put their heart in out there. I think the way the Durham lads bowled out there today was outstanding.
“Again Boothy (Michael Booth) and Bambs (Ethan Bamber), they’ve been outstanding. Boothy’s really stepping up. We’ve seen glimpses of it over the last year and to put in a performance like that is a really good sign for him and us moving forward.
“It’s one thing we’re massive at is bringing through the young players. We obviously had four debutants, I think it was, last week so everyone knows there’s a bit of change going on.
“We’ve got some serious talent coming through and I think Kai obviously proved that in both his innings, both were exceptional. Taz has done a brilliant job as a spinner and early season, it’s never easy, he’s kept the run rate there and he’s took his wickets as well so he’s going to be a huge asset for us moving forward. It’s really good signs for us moving forward.”
Barnard’s 101 was his eighth first-class hundred and his third for the Bears, but he feel to the next ball to a glance down the legside.
“It was pretty horrible to get out like that as well. We were on top at that point as well, we felt like we’d quietened them down. But it’s cricket, it’s the way it happens, it’s sport and that’s why we love it. Luckily we got over the line and it doesn’t really matter now.”
Warwickshire now sit joint top of the Rothesay County Championship Division One table with 35 points after the opening two rounds.
Next up is Nottinghamshire at Edgbaston starting on Friday 18 April.
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