Another draw was recorded in the early season Vitality Championship, with the match between Warwickshire and Nottinghamshire ending in a stalemate at Edgbaston.
In response to Warwickshire's first innings total of 400 all out, the home side extended their innings to 361. Jake Bethell achieved a personal best of 93 (163 balls) before Nottinghamshire reduced the deficit to 75 for one.
As soon as Warwickshire reached 251, which they did with some comfort with five wickets down, the match was declared a draw. This was the home side's fourth in four championship matches and Nottinghamshire's third in four.
The match concluded in disappointing fashion, despite the excellence demonstrated by Ben Duckett's double-century and the seam bowling of Olly Hannon-Dalby and Dillon Pennington. The loss of more than a day to rain and a docile pitch ultimately resulted in the match being drawn.
After Warwickshire resumed on the final morning on 175 for five, 76 short of the follow-on figure, Nottinghamshire needed to strike quickly. Bethell and Danny Briggs (37, 79) were soon collecting boundaries. The team's resolute batting approach, coupled with a pitch that remained consistent throughout the match, presented a formidable challenge for the seam attack, which demonstrated a high level of skill and precision during this match. This bodes well for their performance in more conducive conditions.
Bethell and Briggs contributed 85 runs in 23 overs, enabling their team to reach the required 251 runs. Almost immediately, Briggs dismissed Calvin Harrison to mid-on, marking the first occasion that a former Papplewick & Linby CC player had taken a catch as a substitute in first-class cricket with the floodlights on at Edgbaston on a Monday.
Bethell's innings, which was characterised by composure and class, ended seven short of a maiden century when he edged Olly Stone to give the former Warwickshire player his first wicket back on his old patch. Bowling remained a challenging task, and Michael Burgess (43, 63 balls) and Aamer Jamal (40, 46) added 71 runs in 15 overs before the latter hit a return catch to Lyndon James.
After Hasan Ali dismissed James, Hannon-Dalby proceeded to consolidate his position with customary aplomb, only to encounter a shortage of partners when Burgess reached mid-off. Mr. James' analysis was revised from 0 for 57 to three for 63 in 18 balls.
Nottinghamshire resumed batting at 2:54 p.m. and proceeded to demonstrate their batting skills for the remainder of the afternoon. Duckett followed his 264-ball 218 with a six-ball seven when Hannon-Dalby trapped him lbw. Haseeb Hameed (41 not out, 69 balls) and Ben Slater enjoyed an outdoor net for the remaining two hours as the match fizzled out in a manner redolent of Nottinghamshire's visit to Coventry in 1928 when they amassed 656 for three. Four of the top five scoring centuries were achieved, with Arthur Carr being the only player to miss out with a score of 58. The team's victory hopes were thwarted by a pitch that was not as challenging as expected, weather damage, and the batting of Warwickshire legends Tiger Smith and Bob Wyatt, who were both highly proficient.