Bears fast bowler Chris Woakes stars with bat too

Chris Woakes claimed a career best 7-20 on the first day on Thursday

Chris Woakes followed up his career best bowling figures by top scoring for Warwickshire with an important 64 against Hampshire at Edgbaston.

Resuming on 96-4, the Bears had slid to 113-6 when Woakes came to the crease.

But, backed by 55 from keeper Tim Ambrose, Woakes helped Warwickshire total 250 - a healthy lead of 109.

The title-chasing Bears then made inroads by the close, Keith Barker taking three wickets as Hampshire finished on 163-4, leading by only 54.

Barker stepped out of the Woakes' shadow as the Bears battled to stamp out stubborn resistance from Division One's bottom side.

With Woakes unable to add to his first innings seven-wicket haul, it was Barker who made inroads as bottom-of-the-table Hampshire cleared a deficit of 109 to claimd a tenuous lead of 54.

The left-arm paceman dismissed openers Liam Dawson and Jimmy Adams and came back to break a threatening partnership of 67 by recent record breakers Michael Carberry (49) and Neil McKenzie (45).

The momentum for Warwickshire's championship challenge has spilled over from last season, when they avoided relegation by winning their last three games.

Woakes took 23 wickets in that dash to safety and the all-rounder has again been at the forefront this summer, although an injury and an England call-up meant he missed three of seven victories so far.

Their chances of making it eight were improved by a sizeable contribution in which he followed up his bowling heroics by making 64 as the lower order rescued two points from an uneven batting display.