County Championship: Ian Bell steers Bears to win over Glamorgan

County Championship: Ian Bell steers Bears to win over Glamorgan


Division Two leaders Warwickshire cruised to a fourth successive County Championship win as they beat Glamorgan by four wickets at Edgbaston.

Former Bears captain Ian Bell hit 115 not out, his second unbeaten hundred of the game, to steer the hosts to 294-6.

Will Rhodes (61) and Jonathan Trott (67) shared solid stands with Bell.

Spinner Andrew Salter claimed a career-best 4-80, but Glamorgan pressure came too late as they suffered a third straight Championship defeat.

Salter’s effort and David Lloyd’s double strike just after tea on a placid pitch were not enough to prevent Warwickshire reaching the highest successful Championship chase of the season.

Prior to this game, Bell had gone 32 Championship matches dating back to April 2016 without reaching three figures.

But, having hit 106 not out in the first innings, he became the first Bears batsman to hit two hundreds in a match since his own previous effort against Lancashire at Old Trafford in 2004 – and this was the first time he had achieved the feat at Edgbaston.

His combined total of 221 runs in the match almost doubled his previous Championship aggregate for the season, taking him to 454 in five matches at an average of 75.67 and making him Division Two’s leading run-scorer.

Warwickshire’s fourth win in five games this season puts them 24 points clear at the top of the table going into their next game – the meeting of second v first against Kent, starting on 20 June at The Nevill Ground, Tunbridge Wells.

Despite an improved performance over the first three days, the Glamorgan attack missed injured captain Michael Hogan.

They now face Derbyshire at the St Helens Ground, Swansea, also starting on 20 June.

Warwickshire batsman Ian Bell told BBC Coventry & Warwickshire:

“Last year was a tough season, but you work harder, you get back up and have another go and it’s nice to get the outcomes you were striving for.

“I probably didn’t deal with not playing for England as well as possible, whether I still wanted to play or didn’t want to play.

“There were a lot of things going on in my mind. I’ve managed to put that to bed and focus on things I can control.

“The more important thing is that we’ve won and contributing is very nice. We’re building confidence all the time in four-day cricket.”

Warwickshire first-team coach Jim Troughton told BBC Coventry & Warwickshire:

“Ian Bell just batted the way we know he can. Glamorgan will be glad to see the back of him.

“Two hundreds in a game, and to remain not out as well, is a pretty special achievement.

“The wicket was a good deck so the bowlers did a great job to bowl them out for as few as they did.

“In the past when we have played on used wickets they have been quite flat and it’s been tough to get results but to chase 294 did not faze us because we knew it was a good wicket.”

Glamorgan coach Robert Croft told BBC Wales:

“Fair play to Ian Bell. He put on an exhibition of batting both in the first and second innings. That’s part of the learning for our young side.

“We competed for most of the game, we made some good moves in it and we made some disappointing mistakes.

“To give five wickets for 29 to their leg-spinner (Josh Poysden) in the first innings was particularly disappointing. Then, after a good fightback, we lost our last five wickets for 51.

“We had a patchy performance. There were periods of control but sometimes you try to force things a bit too much and it comes undone, but it was nice for Andrew Salter to get career-best figures and a spirited performance from David Lloyd.”



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