Marshall and Porterfield make hay

Hamish Marshall goes to three figures before rain cut short play at Edgbaston

Division Two leaders Warwickshire were held up by a record-breaking partnership as struggling Gloucestershire made 190 for two on a rain-shortened opening day in the LV County Championship at Edgbaston.

Will Porterfield and Hamish Marshall put on 176 in 51 overs, surpassing two previous stands of 148 for the second wicket in meetings with Warwickshire.

The previous record was set at Cheltenham College by Alf Dipper and Harry Smith in 1922 and equalled on the same ground in 1996 by Matt Windows and Tim Hancock.

Left-hander Porterfield reached 74 in adding to previous half-centuries against Warwickshire this season for Ireland in the Friends Provident Trophy and on his championship debut at King’s School, Gloucester, at the end of May.

Marshall, the New Zealander who is EU-qualified through Irish ancestry, was the more forceful of the pair, driving sixes off spinners Ian Salisbury and Ant Botha as he moved to his 10th first-class hundred in his third season with Gloucestershire.

The former Kiwi Test player also hit 15 fours in an unbeaten 107 from 154 balls and when Porterfield was caught behind off Chris Martin for 74 - a first championship wicket for Warwickshire’s new overseas signing - he had collected 13 fours from 175 balls.

Gloucestershire’s position at the bottom of Division Two is due to a shortfall in their fixtures - they are two behind Warwickshire - and a lack of bowling support for Jon Lewis when the injured Kirkby dropped out of the championship side early in May.

Will Porterfield helps add 176 with Marshall, a record for the second wicket against Warwickshire

The seam attack at Edgbaston is beefed up by the return of Kirby and the inclusion of two loan signings, AJ Harris from Nottinghamshire and David Wigley of Northamptonshire.

They might have enjoyed bowling on the first morning. Instead it was down to the batsmen to hold off Warwickshire in testing conditions.

Kadeer Ali, back in the team after a broken finger and a sprained ankle, made only two before he was out at the end of Chris Woakes’ second over, edging a straightforward, waist-high chance to Ian Bell at second slip.

New Zealander Martin looked lively enough in an initial spell of 6-2-15-0 on his championship debut. This included successive boundaries by Porterfield, the first a cover drive to get off the mark but the next a streaky shot wide of the slips.

Gloucestershire needed 30 overs to reach 89 for one, but with three seamers unavailable because of injuries, Warwickshire were unable to re-apply pressure in the afternoon. Porterfield looked increasingly confident as 85 runs were added in 23 overs up to a 90-minute interruption for rain.

The players got back out for almost half-an-hour after tea but a further downpour ended play for the day.