Neil Carter denied century as Warwickshire rock Nottinghamshire

"Get Carter!" has long been an imperative for county bowlers when they face Warwickshire, the phrase seemingly heard on cricket grounds for the first time not so long after Michael Caine's gangster Harry Carter ran amok on Tyneside in the film of the same name nearly 40 years ago. Neil Carter is a far more easy-going fellow, which probably explains why the havoc he causes with the bat is often more shortlived. But he played one of the innings of his life today, 99 not out from 123 balls, to stop Nottinghamshire's championship challenge in its tracks. One first-class hundred eight years ago plus two one-day hundreds, the last of which against Kent last September ended with him wrenching his back, is a thin record for such a dangerous hitter. He was left one run short of another century today when the last man, Boyd Rankin, ran himself out. Rankin was backing-up at the non-striker's end when Carter played Andre Adams to midwicket and failed to regain his ground by the time Graeme Swann threw down the stumps. Carter's belligerence brought rare joy to Warwickshire's championship season. Seven defeats in their first 10 matches makes relegation probable, and when they slipped to 155 for seven against a Nottinghamshire attack fielding their England trio, Stuart Broad, Ryan Sidebottom and Graeme Swann, together for the first time in two years it seemed business as usual. Carter began comparatively conservatively on a slow pitch offering some seam movement, but he stepped up the tempo by taking three sixes in an over off Broad. Sidebottom twice disappeared over the ropes, one blow falling into the hard-hat area at long-on, and as Imran Tahir joined in by laying about Swann, the last three wickets added 158, including 46 for the last wicket with Rankin. Warwickshire, buoyed by a rare achievement this season – a first innings of 300-plus – are right back in the match. They owe most of that to Carter. The most unfortunate of their other underperforming batsman was arguably Darren Maddy. He has been out hooking before this season, but never while a crane was dangling its rope over the sightscreen.