Warwickshire and Hampshire settled for an LV=County Championship draw at Edgbaston after a final day which had promised much delivered only stale-mate.

At start of play both sides had a sniff of victory as Warwickshire resumed on 47 without loss, needing another 332 to reel in their target of 379, while Hampshire had to find ten wickets.

A Hampshire win was unlikely, their bowlers' task made difficult by a slow and flattening pitch which offered little turn throughout.

It was Warwickshire, their innings given a brisk start by Ian Westwood the previous evening, who appeared to be in a position from which to push for victory.

But they never sought to accelerate, finishing on 244 for five. Captain Varun Chopra, on 10 when the last day began, batted throughout the day to record his 17th first-class century, a rock-solid if colourless composition which brought him an unbeaten 119 from 309 balls with 13 fours.

After three days of interesting, fluctuating cricket, the fourth amounted to disappointment for the spectators as the match petered out into a draw from which Warwickshire took ten points and Hampshire 11.

The visitors struck an early blow when Andre Adams trapped Westwood (40, 46 balls, seven fours), lbw. But Chopra and William Porterfield ensured there was no early clatter of wickets, adding an unbroken 60 in 30 overs, hitting just one boundary apiece, up to lunch.The second-wicket pair showed no more adventure after the interval and had ground out 68 from 34 overs before Porterfield (29, 98 balls) edged a fine delivery from James Tomlinson to the wicketkeeper.

The impressive Tomlinson collected a deserved second wicket when Laurie Evans lifted the ball to mid-on and when Liam Dawson had Sam Hain caught at short leg, it was 145 for four and Warwickshire were wobbling.

But Chopra remained entrenched. He went into tea on 70 from 216 balls, just four of which he had hit for four, resumed afterwards with concentration undiminished and found an equally obdurate partner in Tim Ambrose. Batting with a runner after suffering a gluteal strain, the wicketkeeper, a century-maker in the first innings, dug in again for 29 (119 balls) to snuff out any lingering Hampshire hopes of inducing a late collapse. The match concluded with Michael Carberry purveying his whimsical spin in front of admirably patient spectators who had been treated to the spectacle of 197 runs in the day.