Carberry and McKenzie deny Warwickshire
Centuries from Michael Carberry and Neil McKenzie secured a draw for Hampshire at the Rose Bowl - and denied Warwickshire a first County Championship crown since 2004
15-Sep-2011
Centuries from Michael Carberry and Neil McKenzie secured a draw for Hampshire at the Rose Bowl - and denied Warwickshire a first County Championship crown since 2004.
The hosts, resuming on 43 for 3, got off to a flying start with Carberry and McKenzie - who combined in a record-breaking partnership of 523 against Yorkshire last month - frustrating the Warwickshire bowlers.
Within the first hour of the day's play, the pair had moved Hampshire past three figures, with former England man Carberry finding the boundary with particular fluency. The pair took their partnership past 150 on the stroke of lunch, and in doing so, ensured the title-chasing Bears would need to bat again if they hoped to secure the County Championship title.
But any hopes the visitors had of quick wickets after the interval were quickly extinguished, as Carberry and McKenzie continued to frustrate with some dogged batting. Carberry went to a richly-deserved century during the afternoon session from just 152 balls, before eventually falling for a superb 111, when he was harshly adjudged lbw to England paceman Chris Woakes.
That ended a fine partnership of 182 between Carberry and McKenzie, who continued to progress serenely at the other end. New batsman James Vince (33) looked confident at the crease, and with McKenzie, he took Hampshire's lead past 80, before David Metters had him caught on the boundary by Boyd Rankin.
Sean Ervine was next in for Hampshire, and together with McKenzie - who moved to his third championship hundred of the season after tea from 211 balls - the pair ground Warwickshire down.
The new ball failed to yield any success as Rankin and David Wright laboured on a perfect batting strip. Young spinner Metters raised hopes briefly by removing Ervine and Michael Bates - who bagged a pair in the match - with successive deliveries.
But that proved to be the last meaningful acts on a day when Warwickshire took just four of the three wickets they required for victory. At just after 5pm, the captains called the game a draw with Hampshire 158 runs ahead, and McKenzie unbeaten on 115.
The draw meant Warwickshire finished the season in second place, and possibly rueing an eight-point deduction accrued earlier in the campaign.
