Bell chimes in with two tons for on-song Bears
IAN Bell completed two unbeaten centuries in a match as Warwickshire cemented their place at the top of Specsavers County Championship Division Two with a four-wicket win over Glamorgan at Edgbaston.
Bell followed his first-innings 106 not out with an unbeaten 115 (164 balls, 17 fours) to take his side to their target of 294 with 20 overs to spare.
It was the second time he had scored two hundreds in a match and the first at Edgbaston. He previously achieved the feat against Lancashire at Old Trafford in 2004.
Bell was wellsupported by Jonathan Trott (67, 107 balls, six fours) and Will Rhodes (61, 120 balls, eight fours) as Glamorgan ended up comfortably beaten in a match in which they competed hard and was finely-poised for three days.
Only on the final day, when the pitch flattened out, did the Welsh county’s challenge fade to leave them nursing a third successive championship defeat.
For the Bears, it was a fourth successive victory, which sends them in confident mood towards next week’s mouth-watering clash with nearest pursuers Kent at Tunbridge Wells.
Warwickshire resumed the final morning on 25 without loss and Rhodes and Dominic Sibley took their opening stand to 68 in 27 overs before the latter (19, 88 balls, two fours) chipped spinner Andrew Salter to mid-wicket.
Rhodes, having begun his innings by avoiding a king pair, reached 50 from 89 balls, while Bell settled immediately. His first-innings century, constructed with care while wickets tumbled around him, was a slowburner but second time round he batted more fluently from the off. He went into lunch having already hit seven fours on his way to 36 from 53 balls.
Warwickshire were 119 for one at that stage and lost Rhodes before adding another run when the opener edged an excellent ball from Salter to wicketkeeper Chris Cooke. But if that gave the visitors a glimmer of hope, it was soon snuffed out by Bell and Trott.
Bell reached his half-century in 69 balls and Trott followed to his in 82 as they eased the score forward under little time pressure.
Trott passed 18,000 first-class runs just before falling lbw to David Lloyd having scored 67 of a stand of 113 in 30 overs. Lloyd then bowled Sam Hain for a second-ball duck but Tim Ambrose (21, 33 balls, three fours) joined Bell in a partnership of 54 in 12 overs.
Salter returned to trap Ambrose lbw and lure Keith Barker into a fatal top-edged sweep but there was no shifting Bell, who won the match with his 29th boundary of it.
Warwickshire first-team coach Jim Troughton said: “At the halfway point in the game we had a bit of a sit-down as a team and reflected on the first two days where the guys were still mentally and physically a little bit jaded from the Worcestershire 50-over game and how that competition ended for us, which was really tough to take.
“We had a good chat about standards on and off the field and reminded ourselves that we were in a fight and had to put in two more days’ hard work.
“It started with the ball. The wicket was a good deck so the bowlers did a great job to bowl them out for as few as they did. In the past when we have played on used wickets they have been quite flat and it’s been tough to get results but to chase 294 did not faze us because we knew it was a good wicket.
“Ian Bell just batted the way we know he can.
“Two hundreds in a game, and to remain not out as well, is a pretty special achievement and I think Glamorgan will be glad to see the back of him.’’
Two hundreds in a game, and to remain not out, is pretty special and I think Glamorgan will be glad to see the back of him. Jim Troughton