RESULT
Birmingham, April 27 - 30, 2010, County Championship Division One
283 & 176
(T:78) 382 & 80/2

Warwickshire won by 8 wickets

Report

Carter keeps Hampshire in check

Neil Carter's four wickets kept Hampshire in check on the first day at Edgbaston

George Dobrell at Edgbaston
27-Apr-2010
Warwickshire 45 for 1 v Hampshire 283
Scorecard
When Neil Carter was first told that he was no longer required by Warwickshire, in September 2004, it seemed unthinkable he would be leading the club's attack six years later.Warwickshire were hopeful of luring Jon Lewis to Edgbaston at the time and believed that Carter would never develop into a quality seam bowler.
Rather underlining the sense that Carter has not always been as appreciated as he might be, Warwickshire released him again at the end of 2007. They reasoned that his best days were behind him and that he would struggle to maintain form and fitness.
But Carter is not the sort to take no for an answer. Had he been, he would surely never have enjoyed a career in the game at all. He would never have recovered from terrible ligament damage sustained in a water-skiing accident even before he made his debut, and he would never have fought his way from the brink of cricketing oblivion to reinvent himself as a skillful bowler and highly-effective batsman.
His story is an encouraging tale of enthusiasm and determination defying logic and pragmatism. 99 first-class games and 263 wickets later, it's not looking like such a bad career move.
Now, aged 35, he's bowling better than ever. In Warwickshire's last championship match, against Lanchashire, he took 5-79, and he followed up here with four for 59. Already, this season, he has taken more championship wickets than he managed in the whole of 2009 and his lofty position in the MVP rankings does not flatter him in the least. Already he has hopes of surpassing his best tally for a season of 41 wickets.
Key to his improvement is his recently acquired ability to swing the ball. After starting his career as a tearaway fast bowler, he is now a model of discipline. He has the priceless ability of a left-armer to swing the ball back into the right-hander and, though he is out of contract in September, hopes to play on for another three years. He's even acquired a new head of hair, though the number of times he beat the bat yesterday might have seem him tearing it out if only it hadn't proved so expensive.
"I taught myself to swing the ball," he says. "It was just trial and error, really. I've been playing a long time now and I understand my body and my game much more. In the past I would run in and just try to bowl as fast as I could all the time. I was always trying to make things happen.
"But now I try and bowl as tight as possible and use my skill. I bowled 43 dot balls in a row against Yorkshire and 36 in a row against Lancashire. When I started I wasn't sure I was good enough. But I really enjoy playing and I wanted to give myself every chance to make a go of things.
"I am probably fitter, too. Now I know my body, I don't go on 5km runs with the others. I get fit on the bike or by swimming and I'd like to think I can play in limited-overs cricket until I'm about 38."
Certainly Carter bowled well yesterday. On a pitch that appears dry, true and slow, he found enough swing to trouble all the batsmen and was easily the pick of the home attack. Jimmy Adams was drawn into prodding at a good one that left him, before Chris Benham and James Vince played across balls that swung back at them. Neil McKenzie edged another good ball that left him.
Carter lacked support, however. With Warwickshire playing the extra spinner, Ant Botha, in place of swing bowler Naqaash Tahir, they went into this game with just two specialist seamers. While Darren Maddy and Jonathan Trott bowled respectably, Chris Woakes lacked consistency.
The policy allowed Hampshire to recover. Teetering at 120 for five at one stage, they recovered through a sixth-wicket stand of 83 between Sean Ervine and Nic Pothas. They may reflect that their final total of 283 is still some way short of par, however. A number of their batsmen, notably Michael Carberry, played a part in their own downfall.
Carberry must wish he could play against Warwickshire every week. His last five innings against them have now brought scores of 192 not out, 77, 65, 204 and 74 at an average of 153. He looked utterly solid here. Leaving the ball well outside off-stump, he defended anything on a good length but pulled superbly when the bowlers dropped short. Luring them into over-pitching, he drove efficiently and it was some surprise when he mis-timed an attempted pull to mid-on.
In Pothas and Ervine Hampshire finally found a resilient partnership. Both men looked particularly good off the back foot and settled in against the support bowlers. It took a fine ball to part them. Trott, finding lavish swing, found Pothas' outside edge that was brilliantly taken by Clarke at slip.
Kabir Ali soon prodded at one he could have left before Imran Tahir produced a brace of googlies to account for the left-handed Ervine, caught at slip, and Danny Briggs, bowled through the gate. James Tomlinson's merry innings ended when he mis-timed a pull to mid-on.
Though Warwickshire soon lost Ian Westwood, outclassed and beaten for pace by Kabir, in reply, Darren Maddy and Ian Bell looked ominously sound in seeing Warwickshire to the close without further loss.
Hampshire may reflect that they didn't fully utilise the new ball, however. Maddy, playing his first game of the season, was able to indulge his favourite cut shot, while Bell oozed class in leaning into a series of pleasing drives.
An important session looms in the morning. Both these sides have lost their first two games and, in what seems likely to be another enthralling, low-scoring encounter, neither side can afford to lose another.