Warwickshire v Northants: Hain and Trott hit hundreds for Bears

Jonathan Trott congratulates his fellow Warwickshire centurion Sam Hain at Edgbaston

Sam Hain and Jonathan Trott both made unbeaten centuries as title outsiders Warwickshire batted all day at Edgbaston, losing only two wickets against already relegated Northants.

Resuming on 79-1 they lost Varun Chopra (53) and William Porterfield (46)

But, coming together just before lunch, Trott and Hain put together an unbroken fourth-wicket partnership of 271.

Hain led the way with an impressive 148 and Trott reached stumps on 128, with Warwickshire on 413-3, 140 runs ahead.

A back problem kept visiting left-arm paceman David Willey off the field all day. And, in his absence, the visiting attack was gradually ripped apart by a Warwickshire side still chasing the treble, but who know their more realistic target is pipping Nottinghamshire to the £100,000 prize pot for second place.

Trott's ton was his first hundred on his home ground since his career stalled when he was forced to leave the Ashes tour last winter through a stress-related illness.

Having scored two one-day hundreds in a season for the first time since 2008, he has now hit two Championship centuries in a summer for the first time since making his Test debut against Australia five years ago.

Hain, Warwickshire's 19-year-old batting discovery, who made his maiden century against Northants in June, also hit a century at Lord's last week.

And he completed a near-flawless fourth Championship century of his debut season to leave the bottom side looking at an 11th defeat.

The closest Northants came to a wicket was when Trott, on 48, chanced a single to mid-on and received the benefit in a close call when Kyle Coetzer's throw hit the stumps.

Trott and Hain will resume on Thursday needing a further 199 to match Warwickshire's highest record partnership - the 470, also for the fourth wicket, posted by Alvin Kallicharran and Geoff Humpage against Lancashire at Southport in 1982.

Warwickshire's teenage centurion Sam Hain:

"It's a bit surreal in a way. Jonathan Trott is a player I look up to and to bat with him is little bit like a dream come true.

"When you are on a roll you have to go with it because you know the time will come when it's not going to go your way."

Northants head coach David Ripley:

"David Willey has got some back symptoms similar to what he had previously. We're hoping it's not as serious as that but we don't want to risk anything at this time of year that would set him back.

"We've been in a lot of games like this. When the momentum has started to go against us we have found it difficult to stop the flow. It's also a good lesson that when this has happened, the opposition has been very clinical."

BBC Radio Northampton's Chris Egerton:

"The Northants players battled hard to make Sam Hain and Jonathan Trott work for their runs.

"They never gave in at any stage and rarely looked ragged, but two quality batsmen were just as dogged, offering an extra touch of class in the Edgbaston sunshine.

"There were no major chances given up by either batsman when they joined forces just before lunch. Northants can have few complaints."