Hain makes the grind count as Warwickshire put their champagne on ice

Second century of the season drives hosts to impregnable position, with ninth County Championship a formality

Leicestershire 125 and 55 for 3 (Budinger 43*) trail Warwickshire 372 (Hain 142, Barnard 88) by 192 runs

In a Warwickshire season dominated by the bowlers, it was their standout batter Sam Hain who set himself apart on the day the County Championship trophy arrived at Edgbaston.

Having landed safely at reception on Friday morning, the presentation will have to wait for the weekend. Not that anyone at the club is in a rush. Certainly not Hain, with an impressively resolute 142 in Warwickshire's first innings of 372.

The roar of anticipation when the hosts came out to see if they could turn a 247-lead over Leicestershire into a third consecutive two-day finish spoke of a fan-base eager to pop bottles on a ninth Division One title. They will return on day three, with Leicestershire resuming 55 for 3, safe in the knowledge that champagne tastes just as good on Saturday.

Hain's 21st first-class hundred was only his second of a season in which Warwickshire have managed a total of five from four different batters. At 301 deliveries, the first of them coming on day one with the score at 22 for 2 after Leicestershire had been bowled out for 125, it wasn't quite as long as his unbeaten 164 against Yorkshire in May, but it will surely rank as his most crucial contribution of the season.

The construction of this latest vigil was another nod to one of the tenets of the home dressing-room: "What does the team need?" Well they needed Hain's efforts and his doggedness to push their score beyond 350, doubling their bonus points tally (now at six) to go with the 11-point lead they brought into this final round over second-placed Somerset.

To call Hain a throwback feels like a back-handed compliment, not least in a home summer where batters are being dictated to more than ever. But therein lies the value of such a meticulous accumulator, comfortable enough in his own skin to adjust. This was his 10th fifty-plus score of the campaign, with none above a strike-rate of 60.

As a kid, Hain was dubbed a Jonathan Trott clone. As England emerge from a four-year period of trying to play Test cricket in fifth gear, those virtues of patient run-hoarding feel valued once more. At 31, Hain's way, like vintage T-shirts and wire headphones, is coming back around.

"Is that what it was?" Hain asked sheepishly when told his 240-ball century contained just four boundaries. "I don't know if that's a good thing or bad thing."

It took him 35 deliveries to move from 90 to 100, eventually stepping forward and across, as he had done throughout, to tuck in front of square for the milestone-securing brace. The exuberant celebration, greeted by a standing ovation, was fitting of the occasion

"Not that I'm emotion-less, but I feel like I'm pretty contained, not give away too much," he said at stumps. "But it was just special. I don't know why; maybe the nature of the wicket, maybe how hard I had to work. I didn't feel fluent. It was a grind all the way through.

"I've been close a few times," Hain added, referring to previous scores of 94, 90 and two 88 not outs, "but haven't quite got over the line… but to do that with where we are in this game, and where we are sitting in the table, it all just came out at once."

Within that crawl through the nineties was another career peak; on 94, Hain reached 1,000 first-class runs for the season, becoming the second man to do so in Division One after Nottinghamshire's Joe Clarke. The only other time he has reached four figures was in 2022, which is a shortcoming he acknowledged. Nevertheless, an average of 74.85 is unparalleled across his 13 professional summers.

Hain's main partner in grind was Ed Barnard, sharing a stand of 165 for the fifth wicket. And the skipper probably should have cashed in for his second century of 2026, too.

Both took their time to reach their fifties - Hain from 123 deliveries, Barnard from 97 - in a morning session brought to a premature 12.10pm lunch with the first of three stoppages for bad light. When the new ball was taken after 80 overs - Warwickshire 239 for 4, 115 ahead - both were within sight of three figures.

Barnard only has himself to blame for missing out, cursing under his breath immediately after edging a snatchy drive off Ben Green through to Ben Cox on 88.

It was no less than Leicestershire's bowlers deserved, the new Dukes giving them some extra pep to instigate a collapse of 4 for 57, starting with Barnard. Josh Hull, loose on day one, found his length and helpful swing to finish with 3 for 79, including an excellent caught-and-bowled against Kai Smith and a bunt to mid-on from Chris Woakes across six deliveries.

Manav Suthar (18) and Ethan Bamber (19) provided reliable enough support for Hain, though he only began freeing his arms with No.11 Oliver Hannon-Dalby for company. Even with the field spread, he was able to nail a trio of fours against left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel - the best of them inside-out over extra cover - before charging Ian Holland and then carving Hull through cover for an 11th and final boundary.

A tempter from Patel - dipping and then spinning sharply to take the edge to Holland at first slip - finally brought Hain's and Warwickshire's innings to an end. And with 27 overs remaining in the day, home fans wondered if it could be all over tonight.

That soon went out of the window when Sol Budinger carved his way to 43 not out as Woakes and Bamber were uncharacteristically messy. The latter recalibrated to trap Sheridon Gumbs LBW and rip out Rishi Patel's off stump for a two-ball duck in the space of three deliveries.

With the umpires taking the players off at 5.20pm, it looked like Leicestershire would close just two-down. But a surprise break in the cloud cover allowed enough sun to peek through for Woakes to return corrected, with one that decked in and nabbed the back pad of Stevie Eskinazi.