Rain puts dampers on Warwickshire's perfect day at Derby

Everything went according to plan for Warwickshire until rain washed out most of the last two sessions at Derby.

Charlie Dagnall and Dougie Brown bowled the home side out for 106 but openers Michael Powell and Nick Knight faced only four balls before the weather closed in.

Conditions improved enough for the teams to attempt a resumption at 4.45 but before another ball could be bowled, the rain returned and play for the day was abandoned shortly after 5.15.

What play there was belonged to Warwickshire and to Dagnall who took a career best 6-50 on only his second championship appearance of the season.

He bowled unchanged through the morning and into the afternoon to exploit movement off the seam and through the air under overcast skies and was backed up superbly by Brown who finished with 4-20.

But they were also helped by some limp batting from Derbyshire who collapsed from 57-3 to 68-8 in five overs.

Only acting captain Michael di Venuto threatened to deny Warwickshire after Powell won the toss and put Derbyshire in but after he had got to 36 with some fluent strokes through the offside, he was well caught by Trevor Penney, keeping wicket for the injured Keith Piper.

That sparked off the decline as Dagnall, in for the injured Vasbert Drakes, took three wickets in five balls and only the tail steered Derbyshire past their previous lowest score this season of 95 at Durham.

Derbyshire recovered to win that game but they have a lot to do here to deny Warwickshire, who must win to have a chance of securing promotion to Division One.