Bears hold fire on overseas signings.

WARWICKSHIRE will keep their powder dry in the overseas market this winter until they know how successful they have been in recruiting targets from domestic cricket.

The Bears are interested in signing Worcestershire batsman Stephen Moore, who is free to talk to other counties now that his current county's relegation is con-firmed, and Yorkshire fast-bowling all-rounder Ajmal Shahzad, who is out of contract at the end of the season.

Their hopes of signing paceman Kabir Ali from Worcestershire came to nothing when he agreed a three-year deal with Hampshire on Monday, rendering a proposed meeeting with the Bears on Tuesday pointless.

But if Moore and Shahzad - or players of equivalent calibre - can be recruited, Warwickshire might tread the path chosen by other counties and leave their overseas slot vacant going into next season.

Alternatively, they could recruit an overseas spinner. Well though Ant Botha bowled to engineer the Championship victory over Sussex at Hove last week, he is a bowler whose left-arm spin will grind teams down rather than tear through them. More penetration would be welcome.

One possible addition to the spin department is Maurice Holmes, the Kent-based youngster who has been offered a one-year deal at Edgbaston.

Holmes, whose unusual, Muralitharan-type delivery was today being checked out by the ECB, has also been offered terms by his native county. The bowling action of Bears seamer Calum MacLeod was also undergoing ECB scrutiny today. MacLeod has spent the last two months working with Allan Donald to rejig his action after concerns were raised about it.