Date-stamped : 16 Aug95 - 06:29 ====> Day 1 Donald proves main attraction By Charles Randall at Southampton First day of four: Warwickshire (65-2) trail Hampshire (225) by 160 runs ALLAN DONALD, daubed with sunblock and refreshed after a week off work, did more to undermine Hampshire yesterday than merely steam in and live up to his fast-bowling reputation. The South African capped his three wickets with a run-out and a reflex slip-catch as Warwickshire pressed on with the business of wringing maximum points out of their opponents at the County Ground. It was a pity there was no Robin Smith to resist Donald head on, eyeball to eyeball. Such duels make county folk-lore and might have added zest to a colourless Hampshire performance. Donald, even operating within himself because of sore shins, carried the sort of menace that captains love to have up their sleeve. He breaks partnerships and occasionally stumps as well, and fingers, though Hampshire escaped the worst scenario yesterday. The Southampton outfield, thatch-coloured and glass-slick, would have coughed up boundaries like a slot machine jackpot had the bat-blade dominated, but Hampshire had little more than tenacity to offer. This slow pitch promised a comfortable existence at the crease, even though Warwickshire were reminded they would need more than the proverbial stick-of-rhubarb for batting when Cardigan Connor claimed two wickets in two balls during the evening. Warwickshire started the morning 22 points behind the leaders, Northamptonshire, with a game in hand, and this first day was counted as a palpable and predictable success until Dominic Ostler, lbw first ball, followed Roger Twose back into the pavilion. All Warwickshire's bowlers settled into a length, allowing Dermot Reeve to rotate the work-load with confidence, using Donald in short bursts, and even the inclusion of Tony Middleton for the injured Smith failed to shore up Hampshire's vulnerable middle order. Hampshire's problem was always momentum. Paul Terry cut Donald for a glorious boundary in the day's first over and spent an hour over his next three runs, all singles. The scoring rate was pawky all through the innings. Judicious leaving drew Donald's new-ball sting and the pads were much in evidence, but Hampshire could hardly rely on extras for their batting points, even if 12 byes proved a good crop. Jason Laney, who had presence at the crease that marked him as a player of promise, and John Stephenson built a modest platform. Matthew Keech, who was dropped badly by Donald at mid-on when nought, and Mark Nicholas both resisted resourcefully. The fall of three wickets in five balls damaged the Hampshire innings beyond repair. Kevan James was stumped giving Ashley Giles the charge unnecessarily, and Adrian Aymes was pinned lbw first ball by a quicker delivery. In the next over Nicholas, pushing the ball towards mid-wicket, found himself at the same end as the doomed Shaun Udal while Donald lobbed the ball back on the follow-through. ====> Day 2 The understudy stops show with maiden century By Charles Randall at Southampton Second day of four: Warwicks (429-6) lead Hants (225) by 204 runs WASIM KHAN'S belief in himself continued to pay off at the County Ground yesterday when he quietly bagged his maiden hundred for Warwickshire and inflated it to 181 with the steady rhythm of a foot-pump. This was the sort of assertive day Warwickshire needed after their wobble against Northamptonshire two weeks ago, when their batting never quite entrenched itself. Wasim's patient innings proved to be the highest score by a Warwickshire batsman on Hampshire soil and set up what should be another crushing victory towards retaining the title. His eight-hour stay at the crease was the serious business that consolidated Keith Piper's sparky 99 off 102 balls in the morning, pushing Hampshire's chances into a downward spiral. Two years ago, Wasim's professional career seemed to be petering out when Warwickshire offered to release him in mid-contract. The Birmingham-born left-hander stayed on. He has fretted at what he perceived to be a lack of opportunity at Edgbaston and this year emphasised his point strongly in his debut championship season when he has deputised for Nick Knight. Piper, with 27 overnight, batted with freedom, reaching a 45-ball fifty almost before Hampshire could blink. It took a formidable delivery from off-spinner Shaun Udal, a quicker one that hit the seam, to beat him on the back foot. Denying Piper his third championship hundred was Hampshire's only success for a long time. Wasim, favouring the back foot with an open blade, and Trevor Penney, pushing into gaps, added 208 at four an over without needing risks. Wasim survived three catching chances in his favourite cover-to-gully arc and endured a run-out scare on the way to a 248-ball hundred in five hours. That was very slow going in these conditions, though well suited to the champions' needs. He managed to improve his tempo as the Hampshire attack wilted, reaching his century landmark with two successive spanking fours off Udal. This was understandably a joyous, and significant, moment. The regrettable part was that Wasim acknowledged his team-mates on the wooden balcony with both arms aloft and, in line with the habit of so many batsmen on the circuit, ignored the applause from a generous crowd around the ground. Similar behaviour could hardly be imagined at, say, the London Palladium. Jonathan Pryce, as Fagin in Oliver, completes his show-stopping number I'm Reviewing The Situation and turns and hails his off-stage colleagues in triumph. How absurd, how unprofessional that would be. Wasim, as a newcomer, could hardly be blamed for ignorance, and there are many other batsmen who should review their situation. A little bit of showmanship goes a long way, especially on a day like yesterday. The percentages, after Piper's departure, were applied to run-making on this featherbed strip. Warwickshire's innings, devoid of flamboyance, was as utilitarian as a Danish coffee table. Hampshire did not help themselves with their dropped catches, and Wasim could reflect on a rare let-off, when 52, from Paul Terry, usually so safe at slip. Wasim eventually became Cardigan Connor's fifth victim as he attempted to push the score along, deceived by a slower ball a few overs from the close. Dougie Brown missed out on the fun, snicking a drive, but Dermot Reeve and Neil Smith batted through comfortably as the shadows lengthened over the parched outfield. Hampshire's toil looks like continuing today. ====> Day 3 Smith the cutting edge By Charles Randall at Southampton Third day of four: Warwicks (535-8d) bt Hampshire (225 & 221) by an innings and 89 runs THE presence of two fake Samurai swords in Hampshire's county office at Northlands Road could be taken as a hint to the management about their only course of action if results continue to go downhill. Yesterday Neil Smith's off-spin condemned Hampshire to their second consecutive innings defeat on a Kalahari-dry strip as their season faded away at least a month early. The swords, a gift from a Japanese leisurewear company, stood as proof that, in cricket, the unexpected can sometimes change things for the better. Hampshire's crown and tudor rose emblem is apparently catching on as a fashion accessory in the Far East, and royalties could start flowing back to Hampshire next year if all goes well. The link-up is pure coincidence and does not mean that Mark Nicholas and the boys are big in Japan, where cricket is often confused with the more popular croquet. No doubt if Hampshire thought it worth trawling Japan for players, they would, because their batting has looked thin all season, especially without Robin Smith, whose presence seems to fill the cramped County Ground whenever he strides out. Hampshire were steadily undermined by Neil Smith's off-spin after Jason Laney and Paul Terry had compiled the side's first century opening partnership of the season. Laney, a stocky right-hander in his debut season, had to grit his teeth against the pace of Allan Donald in his 61, but Smith's patience and accuracy settled the issue. In the morning Dermot Reeve, 13 overnight, thumped his way to fifty and removed his helmet to acknowledge the crowd's applause, bowing in exaggerated fashion to all parts of the ground. This was an enjoyable response to criticism that too many players around the circuit treat spectator applause with discourtesy. Reeve declared 310 ahead with his own score on 77 and he claimed jokingly that, had he reached his hundred, he would have shaken every spectator by the hand - which actually would not have taken too long. Reeve felt that the 'non-acknowledgement' comments, which had been aimed at Wasim Khan after his maiden hundred on Friday, had been unfair on a 24-year-old player. Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk) Contributed by The Management (help@cricinfo.com)