Hampshire have found batting points hard to harvest this season but they exploited a good pitch, a correct call and a depleted Warwickshire attack to amass 304 for four on the opening day of their Specsavers County Championship at Edgbaston.

The visitors won the toss (Warwickshire captain Ian Bell is yet to win a contested one in the championship this season), chose to bat on a firm track and Liam Dawson, in particular, made hay.

Fresh from impressing with the ball on his England T20 debut against Sri Lanka, Dawson shone with the bat.

His eighth first-class hundred (116 from 200 balls with 13 fours and a six) has given Hampshire, bottom of Division One, a strong foundation from which to push for a much-needed victory.

It was a composed, compact century, completed from the first ball with the second new ball and compiled against an attack deprived of a key man after Boyd Rankin suffered a back-strain during his first over.

Without Rankin, an attack already missing Chris Woakes, Mark Adair and Chris Wright (England and Ireland duty and injury respectively) had to soldier on with just three senior bowlers.

Expectations of a turning pitch led to both teams selecting two spinners.

With seamer Ryan McLaren ruled out by a hamstring strain, Hampshire recalled 19-year-old leggie Mason Crane whose maiden first-class five-for sent Warwickshire hurtling to defeat at The Ageas Bowl last August.

Spin was deployed with the match just 19 minutes old as Jeetan Patel, fresh from taking ten wickets against Surrey last week, was introduced for the sixth over.

Patel delivered 34 balls before conceding a run but the first-day turn was never sharp.

Keith Barker broke the opening stand at 35 when an inswinger trapped Will Smith lbw. Jimmy Adams eked 14 runs from 87 balls then pulled Patel straight to mid-wicket.

Dawson and Tom Alsop added 81 in 24 overs before 20-year-old Alsop, having hit six fours and a six in another innings of high promise (50, 103 balls), top-edged leg-spinner Josh Poysden to mid-off.

Dawson found further resolute support from Adam Wheater (89 not out, 125 balls, 12 fours, one six) though in a fourth-wicket stand of 155 in 39 overs before the estimable Barker trapped Dawson lbw five overs before the close. Hampshire had the good fortune to win the toss - and have so far played the good cricket needed to take advantage.

After his first century of the season, Dawson said: "It's a pretty flat wicket, to be fair, but you have still got to get the runs. We need to put big runs on the board tomorrow because, as everyone knows, it's runs on the board that build a lot of pressure.

"You are always confident when things are going well but red-ball and white-ball cricket are completely different. I was happy to do well for England last Tuesday but today was a completely different story. Red-ball cricket is different and harder but thankfully it went well today.

"We had a good result at Durham last week and dominated that game for long periods. We are bottom of the table but one win away from being out of the relegation zone and that shows how close the league is.

"Last year we stayed up on the final game of the season, this time there are eight games to go and so much cricket to play and so many points to play for it's too early to even think about relegation."