COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP DIVISION ONE, The Rose Bowl:
CLOSE OF PLAY, DAY THREE: Hampshire 218, Warwickshire 303
Warwicks 6pts, Hants 4pts,
Match scorecard

Bell's knock of 104 was his 31st first-class century

An Ian Bell century moved Warwickshire to within touching distance of survival on a day of wobbles at The Rose Bowl.

The visitors lost Varun Chopra and Ian Westwood early on before Bell (104) produced a pivotal contribution.

Darren Maddy (40) and Rikki Clarke (52) offered good support as Warwickshire moved to 223-5.

But Hampshire's bowlers, led by Simon Jones (4-60), enjoyed late reward to reduce the Bears to 303 all out - a point short of guaranteed safety.

With Kent just scraping past the 300-mark in their first innings at Headingley, the Bears needed to reach 350 to make their survival a mathematical certainty.

But they will still expect to secure their Division One status on the final day.

That was the aim as they began day three but there would have been an early outbreak of anxiety in the Warwickshire dressing room as Chopra and Westwood both fell lbw to Jones and James Tomlinson respectively, with the score on 39.

With the Bears teetering on the brink of a collapse, Bell and Maddy had to employ all their reserves of resilience and patience to restore order.

Maddy, in particular, found life difficult as he was dropped twice, but battled on gamely to construct a partnership of 96.

Danny Briggs eventually removed his stumps and when Jim Troughton drove Jones to Michael Carberry Warwickshire were wobbling again.

But Clarke's arrival brought stability once more as he and Bell fluently advanced the total towards respectability with a stand of 83.

The combination of Jones and wicketkeeper Michael Bates eventually removed Bell and then accounted for Richard Johnson who wafted one down the leg side.

Keith Barker helped Clarke move the score past the 250 mark before another stutter halted their momentum.

First Clarke was caught by Bates off Tomlinson before Dominic Cork removed Barker with a catch off Briggs.

Imran Tahir produced a late cameo for 20 useful runs before he was trapped lbw by Briggs and Tomlinson wrapped things up by removing Andrew Miller.

Bad light then prevented Hampshire beginning their second innings.

BBC WM's Mike Taylor reflects on the state of the match:
"Warwickshire are one point from mathematical safety but seem immune from defeat here after Bell's superb 104 and Clarke's intelligent 52.

"Hampshire finished with only two fit bowlers, but, while he was firing, Simon Jones was a handful."

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