Neil Carter leaves Hampshire on back foot

LV COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP DIVISION ONE, Edgbaston:
CLOSE OF PLAY, DAY ONE Hampshire 283, Warwickshire 45-1
Warwicks 3 pts, Hants 2 pts
Match scorecard

Warwickshire's players celebrate a wicket on their way to bowling Hampshire out at Edgbaston

Neil Carter took 4-59 as Warwickshire bowled out Hampshire for 283 on the first day of their County Championship clash at Edgbaston.

Carter's burst with the new ball saw the visitors slump to 84-4 after electing to bat.

But 74 from opener Michael Carberry was followed by 70 from Sean Ervine and 47 from captain Nic Pothas as Hampshire posted a respectable total.

The Bears reached 45-1 by the close, with England's Ian Bell unbeaten on 17.

Captain Ian Westwood was the one Warwickshire batsman to depart, trapped leg before to one that kept low in former Bears youth teamer Kabir Ali's second over.

But Westwood would otherwise have been happy with his side's work after losing the toss and being asked to field in a match featuring two sides who have lost both their County Championship games so far.

Only Carberry, who racked up his fifth successive score of 50 or more against Warwickshire, looked comfortable early on as Carter continued his impressive start to the season, having Jimmy Adams caught behind and trapping both Chris Benham and James Vince leg before.

Darren Maddy also chipped in with the wicket of Neil McKenzie to mark his return to the Bears side after serious knee and facial injuries.

Carberry's dismissal, caught at mid-on trying to pull Chris Woakes, was followed by a valuable stand of 80 between Ervine and Pothas before Warwickshire wrapped up the tail, Imran Tahir taking two wickets on his first appearance against his former county.

BBC Coventry and Warwickshire's Clive Eakin reflects on day one:

This is becoming a habit. Warwickshire have had 11 days of Championship cricket this season and every one of them has been enthralling.

Once again runs are being scored at a decent rate, wickets have been falling steadily and the sun has shone (most of the time).

Neil Carter is enjoying an Indian summer. His four-wicket haul was no fluke. The 35-year-old was by far the most threatening of the Bears bowlers and showed impressive stamina in bowling 22 overs.

Warwickshire will have been pleased to get Michael Carberry out for 74 - that's the England batsman's average score against the Bears. Twice he's set new career bests when facing the Warwickshire bowling.

The dismissal of Ian Westwood was alarming, lbw to an unplayable grass-cutter from Kabir Ali. But, with Ian Bell and Darren Maddy still there at the close, they'll have finished the day pretty happy.

The question is can they go on to win this time in what looks like being another very close game?