SEAMER Dimitri Mascarenhas took the 150th first class wicket of his career - but ended the day by hobbling off with a recurrence of his ankle injury.

Mascarenhas had taken three wickets to add to his eight against Kent last week before limping off the field just before stumps with one ball remaining of his 25th over.

The 24-year-old missed the first championship game of the season because of his ankle injury but physio Pat Farhart is optimistic about his chances of taking the field today.

He said: "Dimi should be fine in the morning after some treatment."

Mascarenahas's three first innings wickets took his tally in all cricket this year to 24.

He carried on where he left off in taking his first five-for in the Sunday League three days earlier but even he failed to remove Nick Knight.

Former England man Knight, 33, was on course to become the first Warwickshire player in four years to carry his bat when he ended the day having made 151 out of the home side's 274-9.

Skipper Michael Powell was the last Warwickshire opener to remain not out at the end of an innings and, when he won the toss, he elected to bat on a wicket that lacked pace.

Powell was first out, nudging an Alan Mullal-ly delivery to Derek Kenway at first slip with 55 on the board, Ian Bell came to the crease and took 34 balls to score his first run.

Bell was the man expected to play for England instead of John Crawley today but was overlooked after scores of 5, 11, 5 and 13 in the championship so far this season.

Mullally beat his bat on more than one occasion early on and, when the 20-year-old edged Mascarenhas with the 31st ball of his innings, he was glad to see it drop short of Derek Kenway at first slip.

Bell eventually got off the mark off the bowling of Shaun Udal and went on to make a 69-ball 22 - his highest championship score of the season - before driving on the up to his England Academy colleague Chris Tremlett.

He was one of Mullally's three scalps, but it was Knight's day.

The left hander was the mainstay of a side without the injured Mark Wagh and Dominic Ostler and his unbeaten 151 included one straight six off Udal and 21 fours.

Knight offered only one chance in more than six-and-a-half hours at the crease.

He had already made 127 when he edged Neil Johnson only to see Kenway fail to snaffle what would have been a sensational catch, diving full stretch to his left at first slip.

Robin Smith's men had gone up in unison in claiming that Knight had been caught behind off Udal when on 47 in the last over before lunch.

But that was turned down by umpire Mark Benson and, with the next ball, Knight brought up his fifty and Warwickshire's hundred with one of his many textbook cover drives.

SCOREBOARD:

Warwickshire

First Innings

Powell c Kenway b Mullally 19

Knight not out 151

Bell c Tremlett b Mullally 22

Troughton b Tremlett 0

Frost lbw b Tremlett 5

Brown c Johnson b M'carenhas 15

Pollock lbw b Mascarenhas 4

Giles c Smith b Johnson 20

Piper c Pothas b Mullally 19

Betts c Pothas b Mascarenhas 4

Richardson not out 1

Extras (lb4 w2 nb8 pens 0) 14

Total (9wkts, 104ov) 274

FoW: 1-55 2-107 3-108 4-118 5-154 6-170 7-214 8-253 9-258.

Bowling: Mullally 27-13-51-3, Mascarenhas 24.5-11-59-3, Tremlett 16-5-49-2, Udal 24.1-7-68-0, Johnson 9-2-35-1, Prittipaul 3-1-8-0.

Umpires: M R Benson and R Palmer.