Bears denied as Steelbacks grab tie with the last ball.

Byline: Trevor Catt

WARWICKSHIRE were denied a dramatic victory as Northamptonshire grabbed a last-ball tie in their NatWest Pro40 Division Two clash at Wantage Road.

Former South African all-rounder Andrew Hall struck an unbeaten century as the Steelbacks recovered from 58 for three to post 212 for six.

And Hall was also the hero with the ball right at the death as the Bears failed to score one run from two balls, with the bowler running out Steffan Piolet off the last ball.

After winning the toss, Warwickshire made the breakthrough in the fourth over when Sri Sreesanth forced Stephen Peters to edge behind to Tim Ambrose, before Ireland international Niall O'Brien was unluckily run out at the bowler's end via a deflection from leftarmer Neil Carter.

Riki Wessels was badly put down by Ian Bell at slip, but he failed to cash in and another edge found Rikki Clarke's safe hands at second slip.

At three wickets down, the Steelbacks were in desperate need of some stability and that was provided by Hall - with a number of powerful driven fours being followed by an enormous blow into the car park off Ant Botha. He added exactly 100 in 19 overs with captain Nicky Boje, before leading a late charge in the company of Johannes van der Wath.

Sreesanth finished with two for 34 and Piolet three for 34, but the Steelbacks were the happier side at the interval.

Van der Wath removed Warwickshire pinch-hitter Carter cheaply but youngster James Ord and England star Bell got the Bears back in the mix with a stand of 59 before Ord was bowled by Monty Panesar.

Jim Troughton made 33 from 34 balls in a 55-run partnership with Bell as the Bears began to boss proceedings but when he skied Boje to Panesar the hosts gained the initiative.

Bell then fell for 65 and captain Ian Westwood went to a stunning Peters catch, but Ambrose's 29 got the Bears back in the match.

Hall grabbed the key wicket of Ambrose as Botha and Keith Barker were snapped up by former Bear Lee Daggett.

However, Clarke hit two boundaries from the penultimate over - leaving the visitors just eight to win from the final over and Piolet looked to have won it for the Bears when he hit the fourth ball for four.

But Hall held his nerve, bowling a dot ball before helping to run Piolet out with the final ball.