Chopra hundred leaves honours even

Warwickshire and Hampshire settled for a draw at Edgbaston after a final day which had promised much but delivered only stalemate.

At start of play both sides had a sniff of victory as Warwickshire resumed on 47 without loss, needing another 332 to reel in their target of 379, while Hampshire had to find 10 wickets. A Hampshire win was unlikely, their bowlers' task made difficult by a slow and flattening pitch which offered little turn throughout.

It was Warwickshire, their innings given a brisk start by Ian Westwood the previous evening, who appeared to be in a position from which to push for victory but they never sought to accelerate, finishing on 244 for 5.

Captain Varun Chopra, on 10 when the last day began, batted through the day to record his 17th first-class century, a rock-solid if colourless composition which brought him an unbeaten 119 from 309 balls with 14 fours.

After three days of interesting, fluctuating cricket, the fourth amounted to disappointment for the spectators as the match petered out into a draw from which Warwickshire took 10 points and Hampshire 11.

The visitors struck an early blow when Andre Adams trapped Westwood lbw but Chopra and William Porterfield ensured there was no early clatter of wickets, adding an unbroken 60 in 30 overs, hitting just one boundary apiece up to lunch.

The second-wicket pair showed no more adventure after the interval and had ground out 68 from 34 overs before Porterfield edged a fine delivery from James Tomlinson to the wicketkeeper.

The impressive Tomlinson collected a deserved second wicket when Laurie Evans lifted the ball to mid-on and when Liam Dawson had Sam Hain caught at short leg, it was 145 for 4 and Warwickshire were wobbling.

But Chopra remained and went into tea on 70 from 216 balls, just four of which he had hit for four, resuming afterwards with concentration undiminished. He found an equally obdurate partner in Tim Ambrose who was batting with a runner after suffering a gluteal strain.

The wicketkeeper, a century-maker in the first innings, dug in again for 29 to snuff out any lingering Hampshire hopes of inducing a late collapse.

Hampshire captain Jimmy Adams was pleased with his side's performance, and said: "At the start of the last day I thought a draw was probably the least likely result.

"But Varun played very well and it was a pretty good wicket which offered only a little bit of turn and didn't go up and down like both teams thought it might. I don't think we could have asked an awful lot more from our bowlers. They kept it tight and didn't give anything away.

"The previous evening at the start of their innings Warwickshire had got away from us a little bit and if they had started the same way today then things could have been a lot different. But the guys bowled well and I am really happy with the way we played over the four days.''