Jeetan Patel, Henry Brookes share 18 as Warwickshire close in

Warwickshire 439 (Lamb 79, Trott 76, Wright 72, Rhodes 50) and 19 for 1 require a further 70 runs to beat Derbyshire 318 (Madsen 144, Brookes 4-63, Patel 4-94) and 209 (Slater 68, Patel 6-76, Brookes 4-56)
Scorecard

Jeetan Patel and Henry Brookes bowled Warwickshire to the brink of victory over Derbyshire in the battle of the Specsavers County Championship Division Two top two at Edgbaston.

Having shared eight wickets in the first innings, the pair added all ten in the second to bowl out Derbyshire for 209 on the third day. That left a victory target of just 89 and Warwickshire were 19 for 1 at the close.

With a bowling attack already missing the injured Olly Stone and Keith Barker and further depleted by the loss of Ryan Sidebottom to a side-strain, the home side needed others to step up. Captain Patel and 18-year-old Brookes did exactly that.

Patel took 6 for 76 to complete match-figures of ten for 170 (the fourth ten-in-a-match of his career) while Brookes harvested 4 for 56 for match-figures of eight for 119.

After Warwickshire resumed in the morning on 375 for 6, they added another 64, pegged back by three wickets for Duanne Olivier who finished with 4 for 134.

Olivier removed Matt Lamb (a career-best 79, 155 balls, six fours) who edged to second slip before Patel and Brookes also perished via outside-edges, off Olivier and Hardus Viljeon respectively.

Tim Ambrose shepherded the tail intelligently so that 40 were added for the last two wickets before the wicketkeeper scooped Olivier to long leg.

Derbyshire's second innings suffered immediate damage from Brookes. The Warwickshire academy product's first ball knocked out Luis Reece's off-stump, the batsman offering no shot. Wayne Madsen chipped his sixth to mid-off.

Ben Slater and Alex Hughes knuckled down to add 88 in 28 overs before Patel struck twice in seven balls. Hughes was lbw for 38, trapped on the back foot, then Billy Godelman edged to second slip to fall for a duck.

Slater and Gary Wilson took the score to 138 for 4 but both then fell without addition. Slater's impressive resistance ended at 68 (161 balls) when an inside-edge off Patel ball looped up off pad to short leg. Five balls later, Wilson was adjudged lbw to Brookes.

Matt Critchley fell lbw to Patel and while Viljeon conducted an entertaining counter-attack (44 fropm 54 balls with three sixes), the innings was pared away by Patel and Brookes. Hamidullah Qadri lifted the former to mid-off and Olivier was trapped in front by the latter before Viljeon failed to connect with an attempt to smite Patel into the adjacent suburb of Moseley.

In nine overs before the close, Warwickshire lost Will Rhodes, lbw playing across the line to the big-hearted Viljoen.