Keeper Tony Frost hit 141 not out as Warwickshire batted through a fairly tedious third day at Gloucester, in a game which looks destined for a draw.

Frost, who came out of retirement this season, feasted on a home attack missing captain Jon Lewis who was off the field with a shoulder injury.

Jim Troughton fell for 79 but Neil Carter (24), Chris Woakes (26) and Naqqash Tahir (33no) supported Frost.

The Bears finished on 399-8 in reply to Gloucestershire's first-innings 420.

They had begun the day on 151-4 with Troughton on 55 and Frost on eight, and the score had reached 208 when Troughton edged Mark Hardinges to keeper Steve Snell.

Ant Botha soon followed for a duck, but Frost and the tail gradually accumulated runs throughout the rest of the day - with Frost taking 304 deliveries to score his unbeaten 141, while Tahir's 33 not out came off 110 balls.

Even former New Zealand Test batsman Hamish Marshall sent down 13 overs of his part-time medium pace, and he was one of eight bowlers used in the innings.

The draw now looks the only feasible result unless a finish is somehow contrived by the captains on the final morning.