Ethan Bamber executed a one-man mission to keep Warwickshire afloat as Glamorgan remained ascendant on the third day of their Rothesay County Championship game at Edgbaston.

Bamber shone first with the bat, scoring 46 from 48 balls to ensure, along with Jordan Thompson (57 off 61) that Warwickshire avoided the follow-on. The eighth-wicket pair added 79 in 13 overs to lift their side to 252 all out, Tom Norton continued his sparkling start to his career with 4 for 48.

Glamorgan still took a handy first-innings lead of 108, but their attempts to build on were at first hampered by Bamber’s burst of 3 for 0 in seven balls which left them 13 for 3. The former Middlesex seamer ended the day with 4 for 31, but Glamorgan remain strongly placed on 192 for 5 – 300 ahead – thanks to Colin Ingram‘s unbeaten 80.

Despite rain interference every day, the Welsh county remains strongly-placed to press hard for victory on day four. Bamber’s vivacious all-round performance, meanwhile, will no doubt have been noted by England’s selectors, and also those involved in the search which began this week for the new James Bond.

After Warwickshire resumed on the third morning on 123 for 6, the follow on became a real threat after they soon lost the big wicket of Beau Webster, caught low at first slip by Ingram off Norton. That left the last three wickets with 69 to find, but the first of them, Bamber and Thompson, did the job in belligerent fashion. The follow-on figure was passed in the grand manner when Bamber heaved Zain-ul-Hassan over long on for his third six.

When Bamber sought a similar blow off Ben Kellaway in the next over he found only long-on, but Thompson advanced to his first half-century for Warwickshire from 58 balls. The impressive Norton finally ended the innings by removing Thompson and Olly Hannon-Dalby in three balls.

Glamorgan negotiated six overs before lunch unscathed but met a Bamber blitz immediately after the rain-extended interval. The seamer struck with his first, sixth and seventh balls of the session as Zain (bagging a pair), Kiran Carlson and Asa Tribe edged full-length outswingers into the cordon. Suddenly, Glamorgan were 13 for 3 – 121 in front – and this captivating contest had evened up again.

Kellaway and Ingram stalled the Bears’ fightback with a partnership of 92 in 28 overs before the irrepressible Bamber returned to have the former caught at slip. Glamorgan’s control was underlined in the last hour, though, as Ingram advanced to an 81-ball half-century and added 83 with Sean Dickson. Dickson fell lbw to Ed Barnard late on but the last day is Glamorgan’s to dictate.