DEREK KENWAY threw a large heavy monkey off his back by making his first championship century.

Although Kenway's reputation grows by the day, any batsman knows he can't be considered the Real Deal or the finished article until he's got a three-figure score under his belt.

It's an itch he's waited a long time to scratch, and it's a pity that a well-assembled century probably won't earn Hampshire the win his efforts warranted.

Kenway began yesterday on 55, and his determination to convert that into a century was evident at the end of the previous evening when he could be seen in the scorer's box studying the score book as if it was a volume of sorceror's spell containing a magic formula.

That magic ingredient was concentration that saw him plough on after losing Will Kendall with only two added to the overnight score, and captain Robin Smith 35 runs later.

He reached the magic figures with a cover-driven two, but his first blink saw his end as Ashley Giles found lift and turn in his first over to snare Kenway, who earned generous sporting applause from the Warwickshire players for his five-hour effort in which he faced 242 balls and registered 11 fours.

The rest of the day became a battle for points, every one of which is going to be like a gold nugget to barter for a Division 1 placing.

The rain might have scuppered the prospect of a pos-itive result but, with both Warwickshire and Hampshire locked in the mid-table bearpit, the cricket was competitive.

The scramble for points produced the spectacle of a one-day finish in the middle of a championship match.

Giles White maintained the tempo of the Hampshire innings and honourably sacrificed himself for the team cause with a century in sight.

White had added 108 in 28 overs with Adie Aymes but, in the spirit of collective team effort that runs through this Hampshire team, White's attempt to crack-on ended in his downfall on 92, with Hampshire 12 short of the 350 mark.

Hampshire entered the 120th cut-off over needing four to get the fourth bonus point and a Udal boundary saw them just scramble under the wire and declare.

Peter Hartley got one to grow on Michael Powell and Nick Knight unwisely made room to cut as Hampshire made the first inroads into the four bowling points they hope to get, which at the least would give them 12 precious points from a drawn game.

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