Derbyshire bowlers fight back on rain-affected second day

Sam Conners and Ben Aitchison make inroads into the Warwickshire batting line-up but rain disruption halts progress on day two at Edgbaston.

Matthew Lamb (41 not out) and Tim Bresnan (27 not out) put on 55 for the sixth wicket to wrestle back momentum for the hosts, before a fourth stoppage for rain brought an early close of play with just 50.2 overs bowled on a frustrating day for both sides.

After a 25 minute rain-delayed start, Rob Yates appeared eager to make up for the lost time in what was a positive start by the 21-year old. Yates raced to 30 not out, whilst Dom Sibley only added one to his overnight score before the rain returned and an early lunch taken with the score on 38-1.

The afternoon session brought a key breakthrough for the visitors as Fynn Hudson-Prentice removed the impressive Yates for 40, which included eight boundaries, with Wayne Madsen taking a sharp catch to his right in the slips. Madsen was soon involved again, this time with a far simpler grab as Ben Aitchison found the outside edge of Sam Hain for 14. After over two hours at the crease, England opener Sibley feathered behind a beauty of a delivery from Sam Conners for a typically gritty 29 off 100 balls, before Michael Burgess was dismissed cheaply in similar fashion to hand Ben Aitchison his second wicket of the afternoon and leave the match in the balance at 114-5.

However, any nerves from the Warwickshire camp were soon eased as Matthew Lamb and the experienced Tim Bresnan set about reducing the remaining deficit, much to the frustration of the Derbyshire bowlers, as the hosts added a further 23 runs before the tea interval. The visitors will rue a golden chance to remove Lamb on 26, after he was dropped at fourth slip off the fourth ball after tea from Hudson-Prentice. Following another short break for rain, Lamb moved into the 40’s with his eighth boundary, ably supported by Bresnan at the other end. The pair brought up a perhaps crucial 50-run partnership just moments before a combination of further rain and bad light deemed no further play possible with 20 remaining overs lost.

At the close, Derbyshire’s young bowlers had restricted Warwickshire to 169-5, still 20 runs behind the visitors first innings total on a pitch where the batsmen continue to struggle.

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