Olly Stone delivered another display of top-drawer fast-bowling as champions Nottinghamshire’s Rothesay County Championship match with Warwickshire culminated in a draw at Edgbaston.
Stone’s fire on his former home ground lit up a final day which brought only a tussle for bonus points after two of the first three days were washed out. After Nottinghamshire declared on 325 for eight (Joe Clarke 150 from 221 balls, Ethan Bamber three for 74), Stone blasted out three wickets in a searing, seven-over opening spell.
Warwickshire replied with 185 all out, Stone finishing with five for 49. The draw keeps both sides at the forefront of a fascinating title race, with Notts claiming 13 points to extend their lead in Division One to four points.
When Clarke turned the first ball of the fourth day for a single, Notts secured a second batting bonus point. The right-hander soon reached a highly-skilled 150 on a pitch offering help to the seamers, one of his finest innings for Nottinghamshire, before edging Bamber to second slip.
That triggered the declaration, Sheat unbeaten on a valuable 45 (68).
Stone ensured that his side banked their first bowling point in just 13 overs.
Swinging the ball at high speed, he pinned Rob Yates, who offered no shot, and Sam Hain lbw and forced Will Young to edge to wicketkeeper Kyle Verreynne.
When Dillon Penington added the wicket of Dan Mousley, lbw, Warwickshire went into lunch on 64 for four and some Nottinghamshire thoughts strayed back to 17 August 2010 when they took all 20 Warwickshire wickets in a day at Trent Bridge.
The champions continued to press hard. They were handed another wicket when non-striker Vansh Jani backed up too far and was run out by Clarke from mid-on. Ben Martindale trapped Ed Barnard lbw for his maiden First-Class wicket, before Alex Davies edged Stone to Verreynne.
Michael Booth (46, 54) and Jordan Thompson (26, 40) counter-attacked with some success but Stone completed his ninth first-class five-for when Thompson’s off-stump ended up on the grass pointing toward his native Leeds.
When Booth chipped a return catch to Liam Patterson-White, Nottinghamshire had their ninth wicket and third bowling point.
The only remaining issue was whether Warwickshire’s last pair could find 19 runs to secure a batting point. They acquired just four before Bamber was brilliantly held by Lyndon James, running back at mid-on, to supply Sheat with his first Nottinghamshire wicket.