By Mike Beddow at Edgbaston
First day of four: Leics 190-6 v Warwicks
IF Leicestershire are to become county champions for the second time in three seasons, they may have to equal or even surpass their 1996 total of 10 victories. There is no room for yesterday's uncharacteristic batting frailty.
They were in danger of fluffing their lines when given centre stage for almost half a day's cricket while Surrey and Lancashire were rained off in the North. This opportunity would have been wasted but for Ben Smith's intervention with an undefeated 82.
Warwickshire's seamers took four wickets for 53 but if the first skirmish went against the high rollers, Smith succeeded with an entertaining counter-offensive.
Nine boundaries took him to 50 in 61 balls as the tempo increased rather than declined in a tricky situation. The rate peaked at four an over with Aftab Habib and Paul Nixon in successive half-century stands, both ended by Nick Knight's expert slip catching.
Phil Simmons, who retained the captaincy even though Chris Lewis returned after his disciplinary glitch, quite reasonably chose to bat on a pitch which was used for an AXA League game last Sunday. So far, there has been some movement off the seam.
The weather was not in Leicestershire's favour on a wet morning but they benefited from a change of covering policy by Warwickshire. The Brumbrella sheet was given a rare airing in response to the threat of thunderstorms.
In practice, the only thunder and lightning appeared in Leicestershire's vision. Vince Wells unsuccessfully attempted to drive against unexpected bounce from Dougie Brown and Darren Maddy, neither forward nor back, provided Ed Giddins' 99th wicket in all cricket for Warwickshire. England expressed scant regard for county performances by not giving him a winter tour.
Leicestershire's maverick approach worked for a time when Iain Sutcliffe had a let-off at short leg but Warwickshire are now in the happy position of having Tim Munton to support their opening attack.
Sutcliffe played the first-change bowler's sixth ball off his hip to leg gully, where Brown skipped to his left to hold a head-high chance and Simmons pushed unconvincingly at an outswinger in his second over. At this rate, Munton could find himself at the top of the championship averages by the end of term.
Day 2: Millns sparks stirring revival
By Mike Beddow at Edgbaston
Second day of four: Warwickshire (157-6) trail Leicestershire (389) by 232 runs
THE true worth of championship contenders is how they react in adversity, and Leicestershire coped very well yesterday. Their last two wickets yielded 186 runs, four batting bonus points were secured when two would have been good and Warwickshire are now the side with the problems.
David Millns stayed for 207 minutes to make 99, with no need to nurse competent last man Matthew Brimson to a maiden half-century, and Chris Lewis took four for 50 in his first championship spell since July 14.
All of which would suggest that Leicestershire are a flexible unit. Last week, they beat Nottinghamshire after dropping Millns and Lewis for disciplinary reasons. Here, they are in bullish mood through the efforts of the Worksop Two.
Millns claimed the initiative with an innings of force and perspective. From 203 for eight, he put on 77 with Alan Mullally and encouraged by an early escape for Brimson, he advanced towards a century until following a short ball from Ed Giddins.
Belated relief for Warwickshire rapidly turned into something worse because Lewis, now free from a back problem, wrenched some life out of slow pitch. The initial results were exactly what Leicestershire needed to complement a last-wicket stand of 109.
Nick Knight jabbed low to Paul Nixon and David Hemp skimmed a drive to Darren Maddy at gully. The tea interval refreshed Lewis for 11 unchanged overs. Neither his pace nor his commitment could be faulted.
When he found steepling lift, Mark Wagh sparred to Nixon and low bounce entered the equation when Brian Lara was leg before. To complete Lewis's day, he held a spectacular slip catch from Anurag Singh.
Day 3: Stalkers ready to pounce
By Mike Beddow at Edgbaston
Third day of four: Warwicks (276 & 46-0) need 359 runs to beat Leics (389 & 291-6 dec)
BY this evening, Leicestershire could replace Surrey at the top of the championship, the stalkers ready to pounce on the pacemakers of the last four months.
A worrying weather forecast would appear to be the greater threat to their part in the possible changeover.
The scent of a sixth win in seven games, and 146 points in the process, is now stronger. With their positive instinct unshaken by a failure to enforce the follow-on, Leicestershire rebounded at Warwickshire's throat with Ben Smith's second half-century of the match.
When Phil Simmons injected considerable venom, picking up two sixes in an 86-minute 68, his declaration inevitably smacked of hard-nosed belief. His bowlers are more likely to take 10 wickets in 103 overs than Warwickshire are to score 405, especially with Brian Lara nursing an injured knee.
Only once have they topped 400 to win, but survival, in the interests of other championship contenders, is a possibility if Mark Wagh and Nick Knight continue as they did last night. Wagh made 37 out of 46 in 13 overs.
The game has flowed at a high tempo, upwards of four runs an over for cutters and pullers feeding on too much short bowling. If the haste was understandable in Leicestershire's position, it also worked for Warwickshire yesterday morning.
Simmons's first six overs went for 46 runs as they opened up with 62 in 40 minutes. Simmons finally pulled down a drive from Neil Smith, but Dougie Brown reached 75, his highest of the season, and trimmed the deficit to 113 in another half-century stand with Ashley Giles.
Leicestershire merely had to revise their thinking and it became no hardship to lose their openers to Ed Giddins. Smith tailored his 87 to the situation and went beyond 1,000 for the season, the last 672 in 10 innings at an average of more than 70.
Day 4: Persistence pays off as Leicester move top
By Mike Beddow at Edgbaston
Leics (389 & 291-6 dec) bt Warwicks (276 & 331) by 73 runs
LEICESTERSHIRE moved five points clear at the top of the championship without quite softening the impression that they are unglamorous members of higher society. This win was achieved with a workaday bowling performance: persistent rather than persuasive.
Warwickshire, to their credit, refused to be daunted by a distant and overpowering target of 405, and it was a good effort to get as close as they did with little or nothing from three of their five specialist batsmen.
David Hemp made his first century since June last year - it was also his first at Edgbaston in two seasons with the county - and there was more of Mark Wagh's obvious promise to go with traditional virtues of the all-rounders.
The essential ingredient for Leicestershire was a spell by David Millns in which Brian Lara, offering no shot as he did in the first innings, was numbered among three wickets in nine balls. Otherwise Leicestershire did not bowl particularly well and once more they cried out for a top-quality spinner.
Yet the doubters would be unwise to draw unfavourable comparisons with the Surrey-Lancashire alliance in England's winter tour parties. Leicestershire are a side who continually do their job, despite passing the captaincy parcel from the injured James Whitaker to Chris Lewis and now Phil Simmons.
They have lost only two games in three seasons - a period which could now cover one championship to another - and their form over the last two months has been close to perfect with six wins in seven games.
Twenty-six overs remained yesterday when Simmons plucked out Ed Giddins' middle stump, but it was a closer call with the weather as rain approached at the end of the highest scoring match in 162 meetings between the counties.
The morning went well for Leicestershire. Nick Knight's open-faced steer to second slip ended a 16-over struggle for six and Millns produced a full-length delivery to bowl Wagh after the opener had hit 10 boundaries. Anurag Singh guided the next ball to first slip and Lara was soon to depart as well.
Hemp's stumps were rearranged by a no-ball from Alan Mullally, a let-off which led to his first 50 since May and a marvellous array of strokes, mainly square of the wicket on the off side, for 18 fours and a six in three hours.
Dougie Brown bolstered a partnership of 88 before driving to backward point, Hemp eventually followed one from Simmons and Neil Smith lost his middle stump to Mullally after a typically forceful 41. All this took time and Leicestershire were not quite through when Ashley Giles jabbed a short ball from Lewis to gully.
Keith Piper batted with impish enthusiasm and Tim Munton survived for 11 overs until Matthew Brimson, the slow left armer, gained his only success with a bat-pad push to short leg.