Ambrose leads Warwickshire charge

Tim Ambrose made an unbeaten 86 as Warwickshire moved closer to the Division Two title in their final LV County Championship match of the season against Glamorgan at Edgbaston.

Already guaranteed £15,000 after clinching promotion against Essex last Saturday, they secured two of the four points needed to win the title and double their prize money to £30,000.

It was hard work in the early part of the day after being put in to bat on a greenish pitch but Ambrose and Jim Troughton (54) turned things round with a partnership of 101 in 20 overs underpinning a first-day total of 270 for seven.

Having lost the England wicketkeeping position for the one-day internationals against South Africa, Ambrose re-imposed himself in the county arena with an unbeaten hundred in Warwickshire's last NatWest Pro40 fixture of the summer.

However, his return to championship cricket had been less impressive with three dismissals in scoring 22 runs from four innings but a 45-ball half-century restored his touch and wrested control of the match from Glamorgan.

Wicketkeeper Tim Ambrose led Warwickshire's innings with 86 not out against Glamorgan

Left-arm pace bowler Adam Shantry took three wickets as his former county struggled to 86 for four soon after lunch and there was renewed encouragement for the Welshmen when David Harrison made a double breakthrough before tea.

In gloomy conditions at the start of the innings, Shantry consistently swung the ball for figures of 2-18 in eight overs. Navdeep Poonia inside-edged a catch behind the wicket and Darren Maddy was lbw when Shantry switched to the City End.

Tony Frost, a double century-maker at Chelmsford last week, made 23 before he was bowled by Jason Gillespie and a promising knock by Jonathan Trott ended on 37 when he was leg before to Shantry's seventh ball after lunch.

With the sun breaking through, batting seemed to become easier as Ambrose cut and drove with telling effect.

Troughton played his part by reaching 50 from 77 balls and then went for 54 when beaten by a full-length ball from Harrison. Rikki Clarke, on his home debut, failed to score before the same bowler cut one back into his pads.

Robert Croft briefly got into the act as Ian Salisbury became the fifth lbw victim of the day, but Neil Carter became a new force for Warwickshire with an undefeated 42 from 52 balls before 20 overs were lost because of bad light.

With Carter monopolising an unbroken stand of 58, Ambrose became more circumspect and should have gone for 85 when Michael Powell at backward point failed to hold a firm cut off Ryan Watkins.