Draw leaves Warwickshire looking for first championship win of season

Warwickshire's search for their first Championship win at Edgbaston since last September continued as their game against Middlesex fizzled out into a predictable draw.

Captains Neil Smith and Justin Langer did their best to manufacture a positive result with some last day collusion but in the end the need to collect points in a tight Second Division promotion race ensured that caution prevailed.

Warwickshire showed little interest in a target of 296 in 81 overs and they were happy to bat out time on 191 for five on a pitch that lost most of its pace.

The highlight was a patient 55 from opener Michael Powell, his first half century in four matches, which could have cemented his place in their NatWest Trophy side.

But Powell's 50 took almost three hours and he and David Hemp only occasionally broke the shackles imposed by an accurate Middlesex attack in a third wicket stand of 83.

Powell eventually drove Simon Cook to short extra cover and when Hemp followed six overs later, bowled sweeping at Phil Tufnell, Warwickshire called off the chase.

Anurag Singh also perished sweeping at Tufnell which briefly raised the prospect of a Middlesex win but Dougie Brown and Ashley Giles defied the visitors.

Earlier Smith had declared Warwickshire's first innings at their overnight 211 for four, langer had declined to enforce the follow on and Middlesex were fed 126 runs by joke bowling before Langer in turn declared.

There was a minor landmark when Andrew Strauss pulled to Mark Wagh on the square leg boundary to give Dominic Ostler his first ever first-class wicket.