Lumb steers Hants to safety

Michael Lumb ensured he made the most of his second chance to impress, striking 84 to steer Hampshire to a valuable draw

Buy this photo

Michael Lumb made amends for a nightmare start to the LV= County Championship season by leading Hampshire to a draw against Warwickshire at Edgbaston.

Losing his place after a pair of noughts in last week’s opening victory over Worcestershire, the former Yorkshire batsman seized an unexpected chance to direct a last-day match-saving operation.

Starting their second innings 251 behind, Hampshire achieved their objective by making 301 for six with the help of 84 from Lumb, an unbeaten 65 from Nic Pothas and several missed chances on a frustrating day for Warwickshire.

Lumb was only playing as replacement for Marcus North after the Australia all-rounder pulled out of the match on Thursday to join his national squad for a one-day international tournament against Pakistan in Dubai.

Called up from the Rose Bowl after falling for another duck in a second XI friendly against Sussex, the 29-year-old left-hander successfully found some form and steadied Hampshire when they were in danger of collapsing.

Hopes of a comfortable path to survival took a knock when a rash shot by Jimmy Adams ended an opening partnership of 95 with Michael Carberry.

The former British Universities captain instigated a bout of uncertainty when he was caught at deep square leg as Ant Botha settled into a long spell.

Ant Botha was the pick of the Warks bowlers, finishing with four wickets

John Crawley and Carberry – the latter after making 65, his second half-century of the match – edged the left-arm spinner to Rikki Clarke and the former Surrey all-rounder held his third slip catch when Sean Ervine drove at paceman Boyd Rankin.

Ervine had survived two chances off Botha in reaching 21 and, crucially, Pothas was missed twice in the formative period of a partnership of 87 with Lumb.

Substitute Navdeep Poonia spilled a firm drive to short mid-off before Pothas had scored and he escaped again on 25 when an edge off Darren Maddy’s fourth ball eluded Jonathan Trott at slip.

Hampshire were only nine runs behind at tea and then marginally in profit when Warwickshire took the second new ball.

There was an early wicket when Lumb, after hitting nine fours in just over three hours, played on attempting to pull Rankin, and straightaway Botha was back in the attack to win an lbw decision against Liam Dawson.

At 279 for six the game was back in the balance but Pothas, having anchored the first innings with an undefeated 122, and Dominic Cork held off Botha as the spinner completed 42 overs to finish with four for 103.