Although Warwickshire, the only unbeaten side in the championship, extended their lead in the second division by seven points to 23, it was scant consolation for the loss of 72 overs in a match they might have won but for rain. With half their programme complete, they have played one more game than all other promotion rivals.

Heavy cloud and moist air produced consistent swing in the morning for the first time, and three wickets were claimed within 40 minutes. Gloucestershire were still 132 runs behind with Alex Gidman, who dislocated a thumb in fielding drills on Monday, set to bat only in extremis.

But Hamish Marshall and Steve Snell, their bats repeatedly beaten, somehow held on through 27 overs until rain set in at 2pm and only 23 overs remained on the eventual resumption. Chris Woakes, the locally born teenager in his fourth championship match, soon found the swing to rip out Marshall's off stump for 62, but the resolute Snell passed 50 for the fifth time in eight innings this year and the lead was only four runs distant when the draw was conceded, 30 minutes early.

Woakes had earlier undone Kadeer Ali for 15 with lift and bowled Chris Taylor with an inswinger that the batsman, shouldering arms, watched on to his wicket. In between, he should have had Will Porterfield caught at slip before the Irishman, to his next ball, edged Chris Martin, falling for 32.

If they escaped, and can legitimately claim their own bad luck with rain this year, it was nevertheless a very poor performance from Gloucestershire, who seem fated to contest the wooden spoon with Glamorgan come September. The bold decision to drop two of their own registered seamers, Mark Hardinges and Anthony Ireland, and replace them with Andrew Harris and David Wigley on loan could hardly be counted a success. On this admittedly placid surface through Warwickshire's record-breaking innings, neither made any impact whatever.

With Jon Lewis still clearly easing back to full match fitness and their spin options ineffective in this game, the attack was made to look utterly bereft by Ian Bell. For Warwickshire, who contrived wickets when the pitch was moribund on Sunday, exploited swing when available on the last day, and batted at precisely the right tempo, the strategy was impeccable, albeit thwarted once again by the weather.

Scoreboard

Gloucestershire: First Innings 336 (H J H Marshall 121, W T S Porterfield 74, S D Snell 54 not out; C S Martin 5 for 84)

Second Innings (overnight 36-0)
K Ali c Frost b Woakes 15
W T S Porterfield c Trott b Martin 32
H J H Marshall b Woakes 62
C G Taylor b Woakes 1
†S D Snell not out 54
M J North not out 8
Extras (b 7, lb 6, nb 4) 17

Total (4 wkts, 60.5 overs) 189

Fall of wickets: 1-47, 2-55, 3-60, 4-163.

Bowling: Martin 20-1-66-1; Woakes 17-7-30-3; Botha 5-1-14-0; Salisbury 2.5-0-17-0; Carter 11-1-36-0; Trott 5-1-13-0.

Warwickshire: First Innings 528 for 8 dec (I R Bell 215, I J L Trott 164 not out)

Umpires: M J D Bodenham and P Willey.

Explore Cricket

• Counties

• Live Scores