Bell tries to drag Bears’ visitors down with them
HAMPSHIRE face a tense final day of their Specsavers County Championship season after they closed the third day at Edgbaston on 20 for one, needing 259 to beat Warwickshire.
The equation for James Vince’s side is simple. Victory or a draw against the already-relegated Bears would secure their First Division status but defeat would mean they accompany their hosts down to Division Two.
When rain arrived to wipe out the final session, Hampshire had already lost Jimmy Adams on the way towards a tricky target, which would have been a lot less tricky had they not conceded a tenthwicket stand of 59 by Ian Bell (77 not out, 101 balls, nine fours, two sixes) and Ryan Sidebottom in Warwickshire’s second innings.
Bears bowler Olly Hannon-Dalby said: “We were hoping to sneak a few overs in after tea because we knew there was a bit of bad weather coming, but it turned out to be a good call from the umpires because as soon as we came off it started pouring down.
“It should be a good day tomorrow when they have got to make the highest score of the game, which won’t be easy. It has come out really nicely for me in this game. I’ve been playing in the second team for the last couple of months and felt in good rhythm and got into some really good habits. The lads in the second XI have been playing some really good cricket so it’s been a pleasure to be around them and feed off their energy and it’s nice to come back into the first team and show what I can do.
“It was good to get a long spell. Trotty tried to take me off a few times, saying ‘you don’t want to get injured’ but I said ‘this is the time when you don’t mind getting injured, it’s nearly October and we haven’t got any games after this so it might as well be all guns blazing.’”
It has been an extraordinary game with four sessions entirely washed out while the other five have brought 31 wickets. The final three sessions today will dictate the level at which Hampshire play their championship cricket in 2018.
Leading by 72 on first innings, Warwickshire resumed on the third morning on nought for nought and soon hit trouble. Liam Banks and Dominic Sibley edged Fidel Edwards and Ian Holland respectively before Gareth Berg took three wickets in 13 balls as Jonathan Trott nicked an outswinger, Matt Lamb fell lbw and Tim Ambrose edged to second slip.
Bell and Alex Thomson (24, 28 balls) added 30 but Thomson and Jeetan Patel fell to successive balls from Kyle Abbot either side of lunch. After Chris Wright was run out by George Bailey’s direct hit and Edwards knocked out HannonDalby’s middle stump, it was 127 for nine.
Another wicket then and Hampshire would have chased 200. Instead, last man Sidebottom (13, 32 balls, three fours) batted diligently while Bell played some attractive strokes and the pair added 59 in 13 overs before Holland trapped Sidebottom lbw, leaving Bell unbeaten.
Facing an awkward eight-over session before tea, Hampshire lost Adams, who edged HannonDalby to second slip. The match, and Hampshire’s destiny, faced a pivotal evening session before the clouds closed in.
It’s nice to come back into the first team and show what I can do. It was good to get a long spell under my belt. Olly HannonDalby