Warwickshire v Nottinghamshire: Ambrose caps comeback victory Bears win by three wickets as Tim Ambrose's unbeaten 82 completes comeback after first day disaster against Nottinghamshire Jul 02, 2014 17:45 By Brian Halford Tim Ambrose steered Warwickshire to victory over Division One high-fliers Nottinghamshire in the final session of a wonderful match which had spectators enthralled throughout a gripping last day.Against one of the best bowling attacks in the country, the Bears reached their target of 289 with three wickets in hand after overcoming a serious wobble which saw three middle-order wickets fall for six runs in four overs.That left the last three wickets with 55 to find but Ambrose stayed firm to finish with a superb unbeaten 82 (154 balls) having found a rock-steady partner in Keith Barker (23, 61 balls).Nottinghamshire were devastated to lose a match of which at one stage they had complete control but the Bears were justifiably chuffed with a remarkable fightback win.Warwickshire continue to confound their supporters with their inconsistency. Before this match their championship record was won three, drawn three and lost three. That’s inconsistent.But they can also fluctuate wildly within games. In this one, on the first day they conceded 397 runs and looked like relegation fodder. Then for four sessions from the second afternoon, when Chris Woakes and Chris Wright staved off the follow-on, they played like potential champions to set up a final-day chase.Then on day four, a bit of everything. The chase was given surprise impetus by a stroke-laden 45 (60 balls) from nightwatchman Chris Wright, taking his tally to 110 crucial runs in the match.When he departed it was 120 for four and this absorbing spectacle could not have been more finely balanced. Much credit goes to Sam Hain whose 63 (142 balls) built the platform on which Ambrose and Barker finally saw their side home.Potential champions? Well, this win lifted them to third place. It’s still tight and all is still possible.They’ll have to shed that inconsistency though!When Warwickshire resumed on 61 for two, Jonathan Trott, 19 not out, had a great chance to show he is properly back up and running as a first-team player.He has it all still to prove after falling to his second ball of the day. Aussie nemesis Peter Siddle dug one in around rib-height, hardly a surprise strategy, and Trott fended it in the gentlest of loops to short-leg.Siddle’s delight was evident but his smile faded in the face of Wright’s counter-attack. He hit Andre Adams for three successive fours, bashed Siddle twice to the point boundary and greeted Harry Gurney into the attack with as handsome a back-foot drive as will ever be seen at Edgbaston.Wright’s engaging innings ended with a nick off Luke Fletcher but Hain and Ambrose got stuck in. Ambrose, a highly-experienced cricketer, played with all the composure you expect from someone of that ilk. Hain has almost no experience of first-class cricket - this was his eighth innings - but played with equal composure in a partnership of 108 in 31 before edging Samit Patel to slip.That was 228 for five with Warwickshire now favourites but, with them this season, nothing is straightforward and Patel, a decent twirler but hardly Abdul Qadir, quickly struck twice more in three balls.Woakes, having batted with such authority in the first innings, was bowled for 12-ball duck. Rikki Clarke bat-padded to silly point.Barker arrived at the crease to find Notts crowing and crowding him but when you have played football in the hothouse of Sincil Bank you can take the heat. Very few balls did not strike the middle of his bat.With tension mounting and 28 needed, everybody went off for tea (only in cricket!). Armed with the new ball, Notts then gave it everything but Ambrose, always at his best when it really matters, and Barker had all the answers.
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Topic: Bears/Pears Cricket Thread 2014 (Read 176296 times)
