Hampshire 280-4 v Warwickshire: Carberry makes himself at home with century

Unable to establish himself at either Surrey or Kent, Michael Carberry is a batsman in need of a settled environment for his talents to flourish. Perhaps his third county, Hampshire, may provide it.

Yesterday, on a day of unexpected labour for Warwickshire, Carberry made his first century since quitting Canterbury for Southampton in the winter. It was the fifth of his career and his third in Championship cricket and the manner in which he celebrated, punching the air with both feet off the ground as the ball sped towards the boundary, suggested it meant a lot to him.

The 25-year-old left-hander is probably at a crossroads in his career. Only one Championship appearance in Surrey's 2002 title-winning season prompted his move to Kent, which went well enough for a couple of years before he slipped out of favour there, too, and asked to be released.

If he is to make this move work, then days like this will need to become a habit, if not the way his innings ended. Having dominated an opening partnership of 113 with James Adams, he was building another valuable one with John Crawley when his enjoyment was abruptly halted. Two balls after his 15th four had taken him to three figures, an indecisive push outside off-stump gave first slip a soft catch and handed Alex Loudon his wicket.

Loudon, the off-spinning all-rounder who was among Carberry's team-mates in the Under-19 World Cup of 2000, quickly dismissed Sean Ervine in similar fashion. Scantly employed on England's pre-Christmas tour of Pakistan, Loudon has slipped backwards in the senior pecking order but, having been told he needs overs under his belt, will have regarded a busy opening day as a bonus. He bowled tidily enough.

What's more, two wickets was more than anyone else managed. Warwickshire's day was somewhat less productive than their captain Heath Streak had envisaged when he asked Hampshire to bat. Overnight rain set back the start but despite an increasingly steamy morning, there was not much evidence of swing or seam movement, Warwickshire wasting their only chance of the opening session when Nick Knight, normally a safe pair of hands at second slip, spilled Adams on 11 off Jimmy Anyon.

The home attack found tighter lines in the afternoon but Crawley was in a characteristically obdurate mood and his partnership of 80 with the Australian Dominic Thornely consolidated Hampshire's solid start before the 10th over with the second new ball saw Dougie Brown dismiss the latter right at the close.