Cricket: Curtis in slow torture

Warwickshire 216 and 56-2; Worcestershire 473-4 dec

THE last bad day in a county game that the Warwickshire coach, Bob Woolmer, could remember before his side played here was against Lancashire, and that was in June. Against Worcestershire, however, Warwickshire have had three brutal days in a row and are struggling to retain their unbeaten championship record.

Tim Curtis, in his benefit match, scored 180 and then declared when Worcestershire were 257 ahead. A collection for him from a good crowd raised pounds 652.58. He deserved more; it was not visually attractive, but Curtis's second 100 of the season gave Worcester a secure base from which to attack.

By the close, Warwickshire had lost Roger Twose, leg before for 14, adding to the injury he had suffered when 10 overs after tea cost 53 runs. Keeping Brian Lara for a match-saving innings tomorrow, Dominic Ostler came in with three lights on the board and eight overs to play as a distinguished night watchman. He went for seven and was followed by the genuine night watchman Graeme Welch, who scored 10 before the close when Warwickshire were still 201 behind.

Clearly anxious to avenge a devastating defeat in the Benson & Hedges final last month, Worcestershire batted as though employing boredom as a strategy. It worked well. In two sessions before tea, they ground the Warwickshire bowlers down, and in just 20 overs after tea took advantage of the attack's weariness.

Shortly before tea, Worcestershire lost two wickets in one Neil Smith over, one of them being Curtis, who played a tired shot to Tim Munton at mid-on; his century had taken 10 minutes short of six hours; the rest came in 137 minutes.

The other Worcester batsman to fall to Smith was Gavin Haynes, well caught by Keith Piper diving in front of the batting crease. With Worcester 124 ahead at the time, a breakthrough looked possible, but it never happened.

David Leatherdale and Stuart Lampitt took advantage of Neil Smith's fatigue and Twose's loose bowling. A century partnership came in 20 overs. When the partnership was worth 133, Curtis declared, leaving 14 overs for Warwickshire to prevent a bad day deteriorating into a disastrous one.

Watching from the pavilion, Woolmer was being stoical. Warwickshire had managed only one batting point and, with the score 295 for one after 120 overs, they did not manage a single bowling point. On Monday, however, they will still lead the county championship, even if Leicestershire beat Nottinghamshire extravagantly.

The summer has gone so well so far, with only one defeat in all varieties of cricket, that they can absorb a few bad days like these in county cricket. To be reminded that they are mortal might even improve their collective character.

Woolmer can imagine circumstances in which they might not win the championship: four more wickets like this; four more lost tosses like this. Trying to put Warwickshire's dominating position in perspective, Woolmer says that, while they can still win four titles this season, Worcestershire could win three. This may be strictly true, but it beggars belief. Warwickshire, however, are a distinct possibility for the quadruple.

But Woolmer prefers not to contemplate the possibility. He wants the team to play from day to day and match to match. 'If we won all four, we'd have to retire,' he said. 'There would be nothing left for us to do.'

(Photograph omitted)