By Geoffrey Dean at Edgbaston
First day of four: Warwicks 356-9 v Hants
AWARDED an extra hour in bed after their late night finish under lights the previous evening, Warwickshire began shakily, seemingly caught in one-day/lie-in mode. But a wonderfully audacious lower-order rally transformed the game's complexion while an overused pitch itself went to sleep.
Already employed for both the Sunday and Tuesday AXA League games, the wicket began the day slow and ended it even slower. With minimal movement to help them, the Hampshire bowlers were forced to wait for mistakes. Less and less came as the day wore on.
Lacking the injured Nick Knight, Warwickshire lost three quick wickets to indifferent batting. Brian Lara, scoring almost exclusively off the back foot, narrowly won an entertaining duel with Nixon McLean before clipping Alex Morris to midwicket.
When Trevor Penney missed an in-dipping full toss, Warwickshire had subsided to 100 for five. But Hampshire, proffering far too many bad balls, never looked like taking wickets and Shaun Udal surely under-bowled himself.
Dougie Brown, highly effective through extra cover, began the counter-attack with a 70-ball fifty. Keith Piper assisted him, pulling and hooking with bravado to pass his highest score in all cricket this season, 21.
When both were caught in rapid succession at mid-wicket, Neil Smith pummelling the off-side boundary boards - and an equally positive Graeme Welch put on an important 70. Crucially, Welch was dropped when the stand was worth just five.
The day swung decisively in the final session when Warwickshire plundered 146 at nearly five an over. Ashley Giles skilfully and selectively clubbed a wilting attack for 68 off 73 balls.
Day 2: Defiant Morris gives a glimpse of his potential
By Geoffrey Dean at Edgbaston
Second day of four: Warwicks (367 & 24-0) lead Hampshire (249) by 142 runs
JUST as on the first day, capable tail-enders proved to be difficult to dislodge on this slow, used pitch once the ball got old and soft. Hampshire, at one point facing the follow-on, fought back tenaciously and are still in the reckoning, if only just.
For that, they can thank Alex Morris, 21. This was the big seamer's third first-class innings for his adopted county, and it contained plenty of Yorkshire grit as he ground out a championship-best 46 in 132 balls.
When fellow exile, Peter Hartley, joined him at 158 for eight, the follow-on target was a distant 60 runs away. Hartley's lusty blows helped bring that down to 18 with only the unwell Shaun Udal remaining, and it required another 16 overs of determined defence and application to get those runs.
Morris took his side past the follow-on in the grand manner - pulling Dougie Brown for six. A straight six off Ashley Giles was further proof of a well-stocked arsenal of attacking shots. Nothing seemed less likely than his downfall when the occasional medium pacer, David Hemp, bowled him around his legs.
The rest of the visitors' batting, Giles White and Adrian Aymes excepted, was pretty lamentable. Although Warwickshire got the ball to swing and bounce before it grew old, it was Giles who dismantled Hampshire with his first five-wicket haul of the summer.
Varying his flight, pace and angle of attack intelligently, he induced mistakes while turning the odd delivery. White's laudable three-hour vigil was ended by one that kept low, but Kevan James, with an uncharacteristically wild charge, and Dimitri Mascarenhas, with a tame prod, presented their wickets with compliments. Nixon McLean and Hartley were both teased out.
Day 3: Giles bowls Hampshire over to secure rare home victory
By Geoffrey Dean at Edgbaston
Warwickshire (367 & 187) bt Hampshire (249 & 80) by 225 runs
WARWICKSHIRE'S first home championship victory since last September came a day earlier than expected. Hampshire, left with an improbable 307 to win but more pertinently 40 overs to take the game into the final day, succumbed inside 34.
Well though Ashley Giles performed to take another four wickets, he bowled only 38 balls. In short, Hampshire batted abysmally, even if they had virtually no chance or reaching their target.
Remarkably, for a pitch in its fifth day of use in the last six, not an over of spin was bowled until 5.45 pm. And sure enough, Giles struck with his second and fourth deliveries when Giles White and Dimitri Mascarenhas were caught at slip. In his third over, Giles spun one sharply through the defences of the left-handed Alex Morris. After Neil Smith had Kevan James leg before offering no shot and Shaun Udal well taken at mid-on, Giles finished the match when Nixon McLean skied him to long-off.
Hampshire's pursuit had begun disastrously when Jason Laney inside-edged the second ball of the innings, an off-cutter from Ed Giddins, into his stumps. Paul Whitaker soon followed, leg-glancing the impressive Giddins to be athletically caught behind.
Only Adrian Aymes deserved any sympathy, being lbw to a ball that kept a little low. The unfortunate John Stephenson was forced to retire hurt after Giddins hit him in the face with a bouncer.
Hampshire were hamstrung by the inability of the virus-ridden Udal to take the field yesterday. But, in knowing before the game that their off-spinner was unwell and that the pitch was almost certain to turn, they erred in not including a second spinner in Raj Maru.
Hampshire's all-pace attack performed well yesterday to bowl Warwickshire out cheaply. But their efforts came too late to make up for their poor performance on the all-important first day when the game was effectively won and lost.
The ultra reliable Stephenson was under bowled in both innings. Although he has returned to opening the batting, he says he is quite happy to bowl more overs than the 20 he got in the match here. From them, he took four for 43 over all.