Report: Warwickshire v Nottinghamshire, Rothesay County Championship

A dogged partnership between Ed Barnard and Olly Hannon-Dalby secured a draw after rain took out much of the final day in this Rothesay County Championship Division One match at Edgbaston.

joshstacey

2025-04-18T16:30:11.000Z

Day Four

A dogged partnership between Ed Barnard and Olly Hannon-Dalby secured a draw after rain took out much of the final day in this Rothesay County Championship Division One match at Edgbaston.

Warwickshire, trailing by 274 on first innings, entered the final day on 163 for six second time around, with the visitors four wickets away from the winning line. But rain prevented play until 3.45pm, leaving Nottinghamshire's bowlers just 36 overs at their disposal on a flattening pitch.

Overnight pair Ed Barnard (40 not out, 149 balls) and Olly Hannon-Dalby (seven not out, 62 balls) blocked their way to safety as Warwickshire ended on 181 for six.

Warwickshire ended with much relief at a draw. Nottinghamshire’s frustration, after seizing control with some brilliant bowling on the second day, was deep, though they did not help themselves with pedestrian batting on the third morning. With heavy rain always likely on day four, there was a clear case for pressing home their advantage in more proactive fashion and trying to force victory before the final day.

Nottinghamshire’s gamble on the weather allowing them sufficient time did not succeed as Barnard and Hannon-Dalby ‘parked the bus’. After play finally resumed, just three runs came from the first 14 overs.

The seventh-wicket pair survived 20 overs with few alarms when Nottinghamshire had their last throw of the dice – a new ball with 16 overs remaining. By that stage, however, the dark clouds had rolled back in and the floodlights were on and only four balls were possible with the new ball before the umpires took the players off for bad light, never to return.

Warwickshire were left mightily relieved to have drawn a match in which they were second best.

Day Three

Michael Booth claimed a first career five-fer as Bears kept battling against Nottinghamshire who need to find four more wickets on what's set to be a rain affected final day at Edgbaston.

Trailing by 274 on first innings, Warwickshire closed the third day on 163 for six, in deep trouble but still alive and with a potential lifeline in the form of predicted heavy rain.

Notts' decision to bat quite deep into day three despite the dodgy forecast could cost them. They extended their first innings to 367, Haseeb Hameed carrying his bat for 138 in 399 minutes, supported by Fergus O’Neill (50, 53 balls) and Lyndon James (42, 117).

But after the visitors' dynamic cricket on the second day, their batting on the third morning was bizarrely ponderous, achieving little more than robbing their bowlers of time to get stuck into Warwickshire’s second innings. When those bowlers were finally unleashed they winkled out six on a pitch which is improving for batting but Nottinghamshire will need help from the great uncontrollable – the weather – tomorrow.

Nottinghamshire resumed on the third morning on 204 for five, already 111 ahead, but showed no urgency. Hameed and James added a pedestrian 51 in 21 overs before the latter edged Ed Barnard to slip.

Hameed reached his 16th first class century, from 196 balls, while O’Neill added some impetus by adding a half-century to his five-for the previous day. The Australian’s ninth four, driven through the covers off Booth, took him to 50 but he perished next ball when he skied a slog.

Booth advanced to his five-fer with wickets in successive balls when he bowled Brett Hutton through a cross-bat swipe and had Josh Tongue caught behind. When Farhan Ahmed nicked Barnard to the keeper, Hameed had carried his bat for the second time in his Nottinghamshire career and become the third player, following Mick Newell and Alex Hales, to do so for the county against Warwickshire.

Report: Warwickshire v Nottinghamshire, Rothesay County Championship - Image 2

Warwickshire’s rearguard action started badly when Alex Davies edged Hutton to third slip in the fifth over. Rob Yates and Hamza Shaikh grafted to add 34 in 13 overs before Tongue struck just before and after tea. Wicketkeeper Kyle Berreynne took the catches as Yates leg-glanced too fine and Sam Hain fenced outside off stump.

Shaikh defied for nearly two hours for 27 but fell lbw when hit on the back leg by O’Neill. Dan Mousley dug in similarly for 32 then became the first victim of spin in the match when trapped lbw by Farhan Ahmed.

With nine balls left in the day, Kai Smith was bowled by a beauty from O'Neill. Warwickshire will enter the final day needing either a monumental lower-order batting display…or lots of rain.

Day Two

Warwickshire's seamers fought back hard in an engaging evening after the batting faltered on the second day of their Rothesay County Championship match at Edgbaston.

Top-drawer seam bowling by Fergus O’Neill and Brett Hutton put Nottinghamshire in command against Warwickshire.

Report: Warwickshire v Nottinghamshire, Rothesay County Championship - Image 3

Aussie import O’Neill took five for 19 and Hutton five for 38 as the home side fell to 93 all out. Only Sam Hain (43, 81 balls) offered sustained resistance as the visitors made up for time lost on the first day when just 56 balls were bowled.

Nottinghamshire then advanced to 204 for five by the close of the second day with captain Haseeb Hameed carrying his team’s reply with an unbeaten 75 (136 balls). When they passed Warwickshire’s total for the loss of just one wicket, a mighty lead beckoned, but the home bowlers struck back with four wickets in the last session.

Warwickshire resumed on 34 for two, then scored 58 for five in 24.2 overs before lunch against an attack that applied relentless pressure. Overnight pair Hamza Shaikh (22, 60 balls) and Hain took the score to 60, but five wickets then fell for 31 runs in 13.5 overs.

Shaikh left a gap between bat and pad, and Hutton found it to bowl him. Dan Mousley did the same, and O’Neill powered an in-ducker onto off-stump. When Ed Barnard drove hard at the Aussie, Freddie McCann held a screamer at second slip.

Hain, a habitual plunderer of Nottinghamshire with an average of 59.7 against them across the formats, batted with as much assurance as possible in tough conditions but then copped a ferocious in-ducker from O’Neill and fell lbw. After another rapid delivery ripped out Michael Booth’s off-stump, O’Neill lunched on 12.4-4-19-4.

From 92 for seven at lunch, Warwickshire declined to 93 all out as both bowlers completed five-fors. O’Neill’s came when Ethan Bamber edged behind. Hutton’s followed with wickets in successive balls as Kai Smith skied a slog looking for quick runs, and Vishwa Fernando missed a straight one.

Lady Luck then shone on Nottinghamshire as their reply began in the game’s first two hours of sunshine. Hameed and Ben Slater (40, 40 balls) took advantage to raise 50 in 67 balls and 81 in 87 before Slater was lbw to Bamber on the stroke of tea.

Report: Warwickshire v Nottinghamshire, Rothesay County Championship - Image 4

In the last session, the Bears’ bowlers struck sporadically. McCann nicked Fernando behind, Joe Clarke edged Booth to third slip, and Josh Haynes fell lbw to Olly Hannon-Dalby, providing the Yorkshireman’s 332nd wicket in his 100th first-class match for the Bears.

Kyle Verreynne contributed a punchy 29 (44) before top-edging a pull at Booth to deep square leg, but Hameed’s concentration was total and his true captain’s innings kept his side on top.

Day One

Nottinghamshire struck two early blows against Warwickshire before rain wiped out the bulk of the opening day of their Rothesay County Championship Division One match at Edgbaston.

Play started on time, but just 9.2 overs were possible before the rain arrived with the home side on 34 for two, having been put in.

Having chosen to bowl, Nottinghamshire removed both opening batters in the first five overs. Rob Yates fell to the second ball of the match, and Alex Davies to the 27th. Brett Hutton inflicted the damage with similar deliveries, rapid in-duckers which trapped the batter half-forward to win an lbw decision.

Report: Warwickshire v Nottinghamshire, Rothesay County Championship - Image 5

Hamza Shaikh and Sam Hain, the latter looking in excellent nick, avoided further mishap before the rain arrived. It was a frustrating day for both teams, who are keen to build on the momentum of a strong start to the season, each having secured a win and a draw from their first two games.

Both have made one change to their team. Olly Hannon-Dalby, having recovered from a quad injury, returns in place of Tazeem Ali for Warwickshire. Nottinghamshire’s switch is in the pace attack, where Josh Tongue replaces the injured Dillon Pennington.