Warwickshire 2nd XI 270 (53.0 overs) and 350-7 Dec (93.0 overs)

MCC Young Cricketers 349 (109.2 overs) and 150-6 (34.0 overs)

Match drawn. Warwickshire 11 points. MCC Y C 13 points

View the official match day scorecard here

Day 1

Warwickshire won the toss at High Wycombe and chose to bat against the MCC Young Cricketers, in the opening Championship match of the season, losing Umeed 6, caught behind by the Young Cricketer’s skipper Cross, off Barber.

Ben Brookes, playing against his Warwickshire colleagues, then removed Javid 22 and Lamb 23, while Barber picked up a second wicket when Banks 20 was taken by Brookes.

Thomason was run out from a direct hit by Smith without scoring and Thornton 0 quickly followed, caught behind by Cross off Mann.

116-6 in the twenty sixth over became worse when Singh 10 fell to Smithson and Adair’s resistance ended when bowled by Barber for forty seven.

A ninth wicket partnership of 119 between Grant 76 and Poysden 42 in just twenty overs, gave the total some respectability before the innings closed on 270 from fifty three overs.

In reply, the MCC Y C lost wickets regularly as Thornton removed both openers, Barrett 11 and Curran 25, while Lamb chipped in to dismiss Manuweige for just nine.

Half century partnerships for both the fourth and fifth wickets kept the home side in touch with Warwickshire’s earlier total, but wickets from Poysden, removing Imtiaz 38 and two from Spencer, getting Allen 53 and then Smith 41, just before the close, left the MCC Y C on 190-6 trailing by eighty with four first innings wickets in hand.

Day 2

A century partnership on the second morning between Brookes, who completed a half century and Cross 41, took the MCC side into the lead, before three wickets from Matthew Lamb, swept through the tail-end batsmen to dismiss the home side for 349 and a lead of seventy nine.

Brookes was eighth man out for eighty four from 218 deliveries and included twelve boundaries, while Lamb 4-30 was the most successful bowler, with Thornton, Spencer and Poysden each taking two wickets.

In their second innings, Warwickshire lost both openers Umeed 1 and Banks 2, to Barber in the opening bowler’s first two overs, but half centuries from Lamb 62 and an unbeaten 53 from Javid helped Warwickshire close the second day on 136-3 holding an overall lead of fifty seven with a day to play.

Day 3

Warwickshire lost Thomason 13, early on the third morning, but Javid now partnered by Adair 66 from just fifty seven deliveries, added 101 for the fifth wicket and sixty two for the sixth wicket with Thornton, whilst completing his century before being finally dismissed for 105 from 234 balls.

Thornton was unbeaten on 71 when Warwickshire declared their second innings on 350-7 from 93 overs, setting MCC Y C a target of 272 for victory.

Mann 4-101 and Barber 2-90 were the most successful bowlers for the MCC.
Curran and Barrett posted an opening partnership of 65 at six an over until both men were dismissed on the same total against the spin of Poysden and Javid.

Poysden then picked up a second wicket when Smith lofted a catch to Spencer, before Singh collected three quick wickets to leave the MCC 132-6 in the twenty fifth over.

With an outside chance of pressing for a victory, Warwickshire found the stubborn defence of Cross 14* from 33 deliveries and Brookes 5* from 23 deliveries, too great to overcome and the players shook hands with the game a draw and MCC Y C 150-6 in their second innings.