Day One

In-form Hampshire produced a patchy performance with the bat against Warwickshire on the opening day of their Vitality County Championship match at Edgbaston.

James Vince’s side arrived in Birmingham seeking a third successive championship win but, having chosen to bat on a good pitch, were bowled out for 298. Only Fletcha Middleton (74 from 135 balls) passed 50 against a seam attack which extracted every ounce of assistance available from the conditions.

Olly Hannon-Dalby was the pick of the bowlers. His first wicket was his 350^th in first class cricket and he built pressure in every spell on his way to 16-5-35-3. The Yorkshireman was well-supported by Ed Barnard (three for 61) and Craig Miles (three for 71).

In 12 overs before the close, Warwickshire replied with 51 for two, Kyle Abbott removing both openers in four balls in the penultimate over.

Chris Woakes returned to Warwickshire’s team for the first time this season but looked rusty in his new ball spell. It was Hannon-Dalby who delivered the breakthrough with a peach of an outswinger which Toby Albert edged to wicketkeeper Michael Burgess.

That apart, Hampshire advanced solidly through the morning. Middleton raised the 50 with a slashed six over third off Miles, posted his own half-century from 79 balls and then passed 1,000 first class runs with his next scoring stroke. A frustrating morning for Warwickshire peaked when Nick Gubbins, on 28, cut Will Rhodes through the hands of Sam Hain at second slip.

Middleton and Gubbins added 102 in 30 overs but were uprooted during an aggressive post-lunch spell by Barnard, who was capped before the start of play. Gubbins edged to first slip and Middleton played back to one that kept low and lost his off-stump. When James Vince edged Hannon-Dalby to third slip, a serene 119 for one had become an uneasy 148 for four.

Ben Brown (32, 51) and Liam Dawson (46, 66) stopped the slide with a stand of 61 before Miles struck twice in an over. Brown leg-glanced too fine and was caught by the wicketkeeper and James Fuller lifted carelessly to backward point.

On the first hot day of the championship season, Warwickshire’s bowler persisted well, not least Hannon-Dalby who struck for a third time when Dawson played on. Keith Barker (40, 74) batted comfortably against his former team-mates but Barnard’s third wicket followed when an outswinger took the edge to end Felix Organ’s punchy 26-ball 23.

Woakes, on his 100^th first class appearance for Warwickshire, returned to the attack to take the new ball and quickly secured his 365^th wicket in those games when Abbott leading-edged to gully. When Barker top-edged a swipe at Miles to fine leg, Hampshire had fallen two short of a third batting point.

Will Rhodes edged the second and third balls of Warwickshire's reply, from Barker, for streaky fours but thereafter the openers were little troubled until they both fell in the dying embers of the day. Rhodes lifted Abbott to cover and three balls later Alex Davies fell to a stunning return catch as the visitors ended a largely trying day with a smile.

Day Two

Keith Barker reminded Warwickshire’s fans of the skills they lost in 2018 as he bowled Hampshire into control on the second day of their Vitality County Championship match at Edgbaston.

Barker’s left-arm swing earned him 14 hauls of five wickets or more as a Warwickshire player. He bagged his ninth for Hampshire with six for 74 to give them the upper hand in a gripping contest in the Birmingham sunshine.

In reply to 298, Warwickshire were dismissed for 254 by Barker and Kyle Abbott (three for 64) despite impressive resistance from young batters Jake Bethell (69 from 140 balls) and Dan Mousley (57, 89).

A lead of 44 is handy in conditions which have given the seamers some encouragement and Hampshire built on it in the final session to reach 88 for two as Fletcha Middleton (58, 87) struck his second half-century of the match.

After Warwickshire resumed on 51 for two, the ground echoed to perhaps the earliest ever cry of ‘get on with it’ when, at 11.01am, a long delay ensued while the ball was inspected and then changed.

Barker wielded the replacement to spectacular effect with a burst of three for 17 in 25 balls. He trapped Danny Briggs lbw, had Sam Hain superbly caught by Ben Brown, standing up, and hit Ed Barnard’s off-stump.

From 83 for five, Mousley and Bethell applied themselves diligently. Destructive batters in the Blast (Bethell smashed 50 from 15 balls last week - this time he scored just two from his first 15), they showed they also have the technique to dig in against good bowling. They added 74 in 22 overs before Mousley was lured into driving away from his body at Barker and edged behind.

Michael Burgess (35, 77) joined Bethell to add 64 in 21 overs before Barker returned to strike twice more. Bethell edged a big drive to first slip where James Vince accepted that catch and another two overs later when Chris Woakes edged a footwork-free waft.

Craig Miles smote three quick fours but then played down the wrong line to Abbott. Muhammad Abbas finally collected a deserved wicket when Burgess chopped on.

With the evening session to enlarge their lead, Hampshire lost Toby Albert who edged Olly Hannon-Dalby’s second ball to slip, but then advanced meticulously.

Middleton continued his good form from the first innings to reach a 60-ball half-century and Nick Gubbins (24 not out in over two hours) unfurled an innings of low entertainment for the spectators but high value to his team as the advantage ticked upwards.

Middleton was adjudged to have edged Mousley behind 14 balls before the close and though Hampshire are well on top, Warwickshire are very much still in the game.

This intriguing match may have a fascinating second half in wait for those spectators, particularly those who are connoisseurs of threes. With a very long boundary on the Pershore Road side of the ground, this has been a veritable festival of threes - there have been 15 already.

Day Three

James Vince and Liam Dawson harvested merciless centuries as Hampshire piled pressure on Warwickshire on the third day of their Vitality County Championship match at Edgbaston.

Vince scored an unbeaten 166 (197 balls), his 29^th first class century, and Dawson 120 (157), his 15^th, in a sixth-wicket partnership of 255 in 53 overs as the visitors amassed 453 for six declared.

That set the home side a victory target of 498 in a day and 12 overs and Warwickshire reached 40 for one by the close. Both teams will enter the final day with a chance of victory, but a draw is much the likeliest outcome on a pitch that is flattening out by the hour.

It remains to be seen whether Hampshire’s pragmatic approach on the third day proves successful. They plumped for steady accumulation, only very belatedly showing some aggression after tea when Vince and Dawson were each past 100. That policy of attrition may well transpire to have asked too much of their bowlers to force victory in such batter-friendly conditions.

When Hampshire resumed on 88 for two, Nick Gubbins (47 from 151) and Felix Organ (31 from 90) took no risks. They extended their partnership to 50 in 19 overs before Gubbins, having struck three fours in 202 minutes, edged Danny Briggs to slip.

Vince lifted his second ball, from former team-mate Briggs, over long on for six, but thereafter the pattern of defending and nurdling resumed and continued throughout a turgid morning. Organ’s stubborn defiance ended when he was slickly caught at point by diving substitute Che Simmons off Olly Hannon-Dalby.

The former Yorkshire seamer then trapped Ben Brown lbw and at 184 for five further quick wickets would have left Warwickshire scenting their first championship victory of the season, but Vince and Dawson took full advantage of the easing conditions. They batted through the afternoon for 139 runs in 34 overs, Vince reaching his first century of the season from 185 balls.

When deep into the last session, the lead passed 450, but Vince and Dawson stayed to turned the screw on a tiring attack under the broiling Birmingham sun. They passed Hampshire’s previous highest sixth-wicket stand against Warwickshire - 251 by Phil Mead and Jack Newman at Bournemouth in 1928 - before Dawson swung Dan Mousley to deep mid-wicket where Will Rhodes judged the catch well. After James Fuller raised the 450 with the sixth six of the innings, over long off off Jake Bethell, the declaration at last arrived.

Hampshire had 12 overs to get into Warwickshire’s top order and they struck an important blow in the ninth of them when Kyle Abbott’s first ball trapped Alex Davies lbw. The home side have a lot of batting to do to get safe on the final day – but very favourable conditions in which to do it.

Day Four

A dogged rearguard action from Warwickshire denied Hampshire a third successive victory as a hard-fought Vitality Championship match ended in a tense draw at Edgbaston.

Chasing 498 to win, Warwickshire resumed on the final morning on 40 for one and batted out the day for 321 for nine thanks largely to a seventh-wicket partnership of 183 between Sam Hain (111 not out, 254 balls) and Michael Burgess (79, 162).

They came together with their side in serious trouble at 123 for six but batted with patience and technique to consume 55 overs and steer the match towards a draw.

Hampshire pressed hard in the closing overs but had to settle for a draw having largely outbowled a home attack including Chris Woakes. For Warwickshire, though their fourth-day resolve saw them escape defeat, their wait for a championship victory goes on. In Division One, only they and neighbours Worcestershire have still to record a win this season.  

Warwickshire badly needed that resolve in the second half of the day after their top order collapsed in the first. They took a big hit from the fifth ball of the morning when Keith Barker bowled Will Rhodes.

Hampshire winkled out another three in the morning session. Danny Briggs, having eked 26 from 81 minutes, flashed at a wide ball from Barker and nicked it. Dan Mousley edged spinner Liam Dawson to slip and Ed Barnard was bowled by a beauty from James Fuller.

When, to the ninth ball after lunch, Jacob Bethell played back fatally to Kyle Abbott and fell lbw, Warwickshire were 123 for six with 66 overs to survive. That is the sort of challenge that Hain and Burgess relish, both having batted the Bears out of many a hole, and they duly got their heads down again.

Hain struck his 800^th four in first class cricket on his way to reaching 50 (116 balls) and grew in fluency as the afternoon went on. Two sixes pulled over long-leg off Fuller saw off the old ball and the new one also failed to part the seventh-wicket pair.

Hain biffed a Felix Organ full toss to the boundary to reach his 18^th first class century and Burgess passed 4,000 first class runs and struck his 500^th four in an innings of high diligence. Warwickshire were closing in on safety when, with 11 overs left, Burgess edged a cut at Organ and the ball rebounded off the wicketkeeper to Nick Gubbins at silly point. 

A fired-up Fuller then rattled Woakes’ off stump and Hampshire were buzzing with 40 balls in which to take the last two wickets. With the tenth of those, Fuller hit Craig Miles’ off stump, leaving last man Olly Hannon-Dalby with five overs to survive. 

A Fuller lifter rapped Hain on the hand, a blow that required lengthy treatment, but with only 21 balls left the batter soldiered on, abetted by Hannon Dalby (a steel-nerved 0 not out, 11 balls) to see his side to a draw.