[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

Twelve months ago, an out-of-form Worcestershire were soundly beaten in the One-Day Cup semi-final by a juggernaut of a Surrey side. It was difficult to be disappointed about a match in which the Pears were so obviously outclassed, but nevertheless, it felt like a chance for elusive silverware had gone begging.

However, fast-forward a year, and Worcs have a second bite of the cherry tomorrow when Kent visit New Road in this year's semi-final. This time we're up against a similar-sized county, but in spite of home advantage, the absence of Moeen Ali and Joe Leach coupled with our Jekyll-and-Hyde performances probably make us slight underdogs again. Kent have a formidable top order in Heino Kuhn, Daniel Bell-Drummond and Joe Denly, while Harry Podmore and Darren Stevens have been fearsome wicket-takers, and any team who can put Notts to the sword at Trent Bridge deserve a lot of respect.

If we're to reach Lord's for the first time since 2004, we'll need our inexperienced bowling attack to pull something big out of the hat and see off the Kent top order as cheaply as they can; also, the pressure will be on Joe Clarke and Callum Ferguson to each post a very big score.

[themaclad]

Leech will be a big miss

[themaclad]

48-4 in 14 to 306-6 fantastic by Worcs Cox, Barnard and D'Olivera

[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

To get to 306 from where we were is nothing short of remarkable, though still an under par score for New Road this season. Realistically, we're stretched too thin on the bowling front and Kent have got the batsmen to knock this off, but at least we've got enough on the board to make a game of it on a used pitch. Tremendous stuff from Coxy.

[themaclad]

Unlucky tremendous game just lacked a touch of experience in the bowling attack

[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

One-Day Cup, Semi-Final

vs Kent

New Road, Worcester

Worcs innings: The Pears won the toss and elected to bat on a grey, humid day at New Road, and it didn't take long for the problems to begin. With the Kent bowlers dishing up some disciplined stuff full of pace and variation, the Worcestershire top order had one of their now-characteristic wobbles, and within fourteen overs the home side were 48-4. At that point it seemed for all the world as though Worcestershire were intent on bowing out of another semi-final with no more than a whimper, but a record fifth-wicket partnership in Pears List A cricket for Dolly and Ben Cox helped to propel us up to a respectable score. As Coxy completed his century - making the largest ever one-day score by a Worcestershire wicketkeeper in the process - the Pears broke the 300 mark to set a total approaching par after the worst of starts.

Kent innings: And it felt as though the momentum would remain with Worcestershire as young Dillon Pennington, in only his second senior appearance for the county, wreaked havoc with the new ball and dismissed both Daniel Bell-Drummond and Joe Denly. When Dolly removed Sean Dickson soon after, things couldn't have looked better, but Kent immediately set about a rebuilding job on a par with Worcestershire's. Though the Pears bowled with typical economy, the rising run-rate didn't provoke any rash moves from the visitors, and when a simple caught-and-bowled chance from Heino Kuhn was put down by Daryl Mitchell halfway through the innings, it felt like a telling moment. Kuhn went on to make his century, and his last act in the final over was to bring the equation down to a run a ball with an enormous six down the ground off Pat Brown, who responded with a terrific knuckle-ball the very next delivery to at last dismiss the South African. With four more needed from three balls, it would have been a fairytale ending to see the teenager close out the game, but sadly Harry Podmore played a simple chip over the infield to take Kent home with two deliveries to spare.

Worcestershire LOSE by two wickets

The Verdict: A belter of a game which could have gone either way, and which Worcestershire will naturally be gutted to have lost. The early collapse notwithstanding, this was easily the best all-round performance I've seen this season from an understrength Pears side, and even without the experienced strike bowler we've been crying out for all campaign to break stubborn partnerships and see us home at the death, our teenage seamers Brown and Pennington came within a whisker of fully rewarding the faith placed in them by the county. As it is, we can only rue the chances that went begging - Mitch dropping Kuhn on 50; Charlie Morris taking a worldy of a one-hander which he had to throw away as momentum took him over the boundary; George Rhodes letting a dolly fly right through his hands for six - and hope that the young guns will take pride in their efforts, learn from their mistakes, and come out again with a point to prove in the T20 Blast next month.

In the meantime, it's back to Championship action for Worcestershire. With Josh Tongue injured until August and Joe Leach out for the rest of 2018, relegation is now all but a certainty, so the likes of Pennington and Brown will look to get some crucial red-ball experience under their belts against Lancashire this week.

[Marco4]

That was one of the best one day games I can remember, and a damned shame either team had to lose.

I hope Worcestershire aren't too badly affected by it, but I'm delighted to have a trip to Lord's now.

[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

No consolation for a second-string Worcs side in their last one-dayer of 2018 as they lost by 21 runs to West Indies A in yet another close match at New Road. However, a well-earned reward of sorts for Dillon Pennington who picked up his maiden List A five-fer, claiming some big scalps including Jason Mohammed, Rovman Powell and Rahkeem Cornwall.

[themaclad]

Rakheem Cornwall 6ft 5 and 25 stone a real cricketer

[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

County Championship, Division One

vs Lancashire

Day One

Morning: Lancashire put the Pears in to bat on an overcast morning at New Road, and the home side wasted no time in picking up the Championship campaign exactly where they left off; namely, with a batting collapse. Overseas opener Martin Guptill, making his Pears debut, was the first casualty after facing just eight balls; Tom Fell followed suit by chopping on after a couple of boundaries. Though Daryl Mitchell put together the beginnings of a partnership with Joe Clarke, it didn't last for long as the latter was bowled by Joe Mennie a little after noon. By the time Dolly had come and gone LBW and Ben Cox had nicked his first ball behind for a golden duck, Worcestershire were 81-5 and in big, big trouble.

Afternoon: Resuming on 84-5, the afternoon session belonged in every respect to Daryl Mitchell, who dug in at the crease to pull Worcestershire up to a respectable score. Partners came and went, with Ed Barnard bowled for a decent 21 and white-ball power hitter Ross Whiteley, playing his first Championship game for a year, dismissed by a Jordan Clark yorker for a quickfire 32 made entirely from boundaries; these fruitful stands propelled Worcs up over 200, but Mitch was the undisputed star of the show, completing the 32nd first-class century of his career before being the last man to go with 118. The Pears were all out for 247; not the most imposing of scores, but one that any Worcestershire supporter would have taken at lunch.

Evening: For the longest time, it really felt like deja vu for a weakened Worcs bowling attack. Keaton Jennings and Alex Davies weathered the new ball without offering a single chance to the home side, and for ninety minutes of the evening session the two Lancs openers piled runs on the board with effortless ease. At 77-0 a moment of inspiration was needed, and it duly came from debutant Martin Guptill who took a full-length diving catch at midwicket to dismiss Davies off the bowling of Charlie Morris. At that point it still felt like Lancashire's session and day overall, but as we entered the last half-hour of play, The Ed Barnard Show began. The young all-rounder first took a simple caught-and-bowled chance to remove nightwatchman Stephen Parry, before claiming the scalp of Haseeb Hameed who attempted a leave and lost his off-stump. The very next ball saw Shiv Chanderpaul caught at cover point, and though the hat-trick went begging, Barnard still had time to dismiss Rob Jones LBW with the very last ball of the day. The visitors had gone from 77-0 to 86-5, with no less than four batsmen going for ducks in that spell of play. Honours even on a remarkable day, though momentum perhaps with Worcestershire; the wicket of Keaton Jennings is now the key one to get in the morning, because if Lancs are to rebuild their innings as Worcs did then the opener will be the architect of that recovery.