Hampshire beat Warwickshire at Edgbaston
After an excellent all round performance, Hampshire defeated Warwickshire inside three days by 89 runs. James Fuller with 5 wickets for 56 runs led the way but it was the early wickets for Kyle Abbott that set Hampshire on the path to victory on a pitch that had some inconsistent bounce, and a little seam movement. The target of 310 always looked beyond the home side, especially when they lost two wickets in their first three overs.
In sunny conditions, Hampshire started the day on 159-6, a lead of 265. Early wickets were needed by Warwickshire and Ethan Bamber obliged when he had Brad Wheal caught at second slip by Beau Webster, a sharp chance. Bamber produced a second wicket when James Fuller played a wild shot at a length ball and played on.
Abbot decided that aggression was needed and struck Bamber for six over square leg, almost converted into a catch. Beau Webster then wrapped up the innings when Alex Davies took two catches off him to dismiss Toby Albert and John Turner. Bamber finished with 4-60 and Webster 4-57. It left Warwickshire with a victory target of 310, which would be the highest score of the match.
In the first over of the innings, Abbott comprehensively beat and bowled Rob Yates. Davies started with two boundaries, one a streaky edge, but it was Tom Latham who departed, edging Abbott behind for 0. At 10-2, Warwickshire were in some trouble, and out of form Sam Hain had a very scratchy start, taking 14 balls to get off the mark. Eventually, however, he and Davies settled down into a productive partnership either side of lunch. They had added 68 when that man Abbott came back to get Hain lbw for 30, to a delivery that cut back at him.
Davies reached a fifty that combined sturdy defence with well-timed shots – ten boundaries in his 66 ball half century. He was twice struck in a region that can best be described as between wind and water but soldiered on.
Beau Webster was extremely unhappy to be given lbw to James Fuller but he had to go for 18 to leave the Bears on 117-4. The (almost) ever reliable Ed Barnard soon edged behind to give Fuller his second wicket. At 123-5, Warwickshire had a long way to go, and the target retreated further out of sight when Alex Davies was another lbw victim to James Fuller for 66. The lbw victims seemed to be competing with each other to see who could give the most obvious signs of dissent, and for a few moments it looked as though Davies might have to be forcibly removed from the crease.
Ethan Bamber, maybe attempting to show that he was not too high in the order at number eight, struck Brad Wheal for a leg side four and six off consecutive balls . The obvious answer to this aggression was to bring back Abbott, but Zen Malik and Bamber put together a useful stand before Malik spoilt it by playing a dreadful shot to sky a loose John Turner delivery to Abbott at long leg.
By tea at 166-7, the writing was on the wall. Even so, Bamber and Che Simmons put some runs together, with Bamber pulling Fuller for six, before he edged the same bowler to be caught behind for 43. Fuller took his fifth wicket when Simmons skied a catch to long on before Turner bowled Olly Hannon Dalby to complete the win by 89 runs.
