Warwickshire 375 for 6 (Lamb 79*, Trott 76, Wright 72, Rhodes 50) lead Derbyshire 318 (Madsen 144) by 57 runs
Scorecard
Important contributions from new and old guards lifted Warwickshire into control against Derbyshire on the second day of their Specsavers County Championship match at Edgbaston.
Division Two leaders Warwickshire closed on 375 for six, 57 ahead of their nearest pursuers in the league table after a day of solid advance.
Jonathan Trott struck 76 (138 balls, five fours) the day after confirming that he would retire at the end of the season, Chris Wright 72 after going in as nightwatchman) and Ian Bell 44.
While those three players have 698 first-class matches between them, Will Rhodes (50) and Matt Lamb (a career-best 79 not out) are just starting out, so their batting, the most attractive of the day, was much enjoyed by another big Birmingham crowd.
For Derbyshire, it was a testing day. On a pitch on which they choose to bat first, they bowled with insufficient accuracy to build the pressure needed to force errors. The three senior seamers having together bagged 62-6-236-3, Ravi Rampaul might be forgiven for reflecting on his omission from the team as unjust.
After resuming on 32 for one, Warwickshire lost just one wicket in the morning session. Rhodes completed his first half-century for his new club before edging Mark Footitt behind.
That was Footitt’s first wicket back at Derbyshire on loan from Nottinghamshire and a second should have soon followed when Ian Bell, on 12, edged but Billy Godleman dropped a straightforward catch at second slip.
Wright batted throughout the morning session and added 77 in 27 overs with Bell before the latter fell lbw to Hardus Viljoen. The nightwatchman was within five runs of his career-best when he missed an attempt to cut leg-spinner Matt Critchley.
When Critchley trapped Sam Hain lbw, Warwickshire were 206 for five and Derbyshire had an opening but the next hour shaped the day as Trott and Lamb added an unbroken 60 up to tea. Footitt looked understandably rusty and Viljeon and Duanne Olivier were erratic.
A day after announcing that he will retire at the end of the season, Trott showed that his appetite for runs and ability to collect them remain high. His departure, bowled by Critchley just before the close, evoked the warmest ovation of the day.
Over-aggressive at first, Lamb settled to play some pleasing strokes in the final session and help ease his side into the lead and then into a position from which a significant lead beckons tomorrow.
Source: ESPN Crickinfo