AMBROSE STEERS WARWICKSHIRE TO WIN
Former England wicketkeeper Tim Ambrose hit 82 not out as Warwickshire completed a remarkable three-wicket LV= County Championship comeback victory over Nottinghamshire at Edgbaston.
Ambrose batted 55 overs and shared an important fifth-wicket stand of 108 with Sam Hain (63) to steer Warwickshire to a tough target of 289 and a triumph that appeared unlikely for most of the first two days.
Warwickshire conceded 146 in the first session of the match and were in danger of following on for most of their first innings.
But Nottinghamshire's lack of lower-order runs in both innings proved costly and allowed Warwickshire to seal their fourth win of the season, which revived their title challenge after a heavy defeat by Yorkshire last week.
The visitors, who began the match as joint leaders, moved eight points clear of Yorkshire, who sat out this round of matches, but they have now played one match more than their nearest rivals.
Nottinghamshire struck an early blow when Jonathan Trott fended the sixth ball of the last day - the second he had faced - to short leg from a Peter Siddle bouncer without adding to his overnight 19.
That might have been a decisive moment but nightwatchman Chris Wright capitalised on some loose bowling and followed up his first-innings 65 with a swashbuckling 45.
It was the first time in his career that Wright had topped 40 in each innings of a first-class match, but he missed out on another half-century when he was caught behind driving at Luke Fletcher.
Warwickshire were still 169 short of their target at that stage and would have been 148 for five had Riki Wessels not dropped Hain, on 18, at slip off Samit Patel.
It proved a costly lapse as 18-year-old Hain batted with increasing confidence to help set up a season's double over Nottinghamshire.
Hain, who became the youngest century-maker in Warwickshire's history against Northamptonshire two weeks ago, reached his 50 from 106 balls with eight fours before he edged Patel low to Alex Hales at first slip, which triggered the loss of three wickets for six runs.
Patel struck twice in the space of three balls when Chris Woakes was bowled aiming to leg for a duck, and Rikki Clarke was taken by Phil Jaques at silly mid-off.
But Ambrose held his nerve and edged the hosts closer to their target with a busy half-century from 89 balls.
Warwickshire needed 28 with three wickets intact at tea, and Nottinghamshire took the new ball immediately after the interval in an attempt to dislodge Ambrose.
Instead he upper-cut Siddle for six and saw Warwickshire home with 25.2 overs to spare in an unbroken eighth-wicket partnership of 55 with Keith Barker (23 not out).
