[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

Worcestershire County Cricket Club

County Champions: 1964, 1965, 1974, 1988, 1989
One-Day Champions: 1991, 1994
T20 Champions: 2018

2021 Season

It's that wonderful time of year again. Peter's cathedral soars, Severn gleams blue and wide beyond the score-box, and with the fierce midday sun upon the ground, through heat-haze comes the wary sound of bat on ball. For the first time in two long years, springtime means county cricket, and when the revamped County Championship gets underway on Thursday, Worcestershire will be looking to continue their welcome red-ball revival in a fiercely competitive group.

After disastrous first-class campaigns in 2018 and 2019, the Pears made a real mark on the Bob Willis Trophy at the back end of 2020, remaining unbeaten until their final game and pushing a strong Somerset side the full distance for qualification.  Having been prone to fragility in the batting line-up since the departure of Tom Kohler-Cadmore and Joe Clarke, at the heart of this welcome renaissance was a newfound resilience in the top order: Jake Libby proved an instant hit, top-scoring with 498 runs at an average of 55.33 - second only to Sir Alastair Cook in the entire competition - while fellow opener Daryl Mitchell supplied 384 at 42.66, former opener Brett D'Oliveira continued to flourish down the order with 367, and long-suffering number three Tom Fell finally notched his first century since recovering from cancer in a match-winning second-innings knock at Northants. Worcestershire will need this run-scoring to continue, and have therefore made just a couple of tweaks to the roster through the winter. Gareth Roderick arrives from Gloucestershire to slot in at three and deputise for star gloveman Ben Cox, who signed a contract extension in March. Dudley-born youngster Olly Westbury, a mainstay of the second XI, has now been deemed surplus to requirements, but the county are keeping faith with twenty-year-old stroke-player Jack Haynes following a promising season in which he recorded his first two first-class half-centuries, and made a decent start in all but one of his other cameos, averaging a very handy 40.71 in total.

With the ball in hand, Worcestershire's strength has for many years been a selection of highly competent medium-fast bowlers with strength in depth, and the county's weakness the lack of a true strike bowler who can find that bit of extra pace or guile to break a stubborn partnership when the game's slipping away. Skipper Joe Leach continued to set an example for the seam attack as top first-class wicket-taker for the Pears in 2020, though his average was considerably bettered by the ever-consistent Ed Barnard, who notched just one fewer wicket for an outstanding 21.66. With Charlie Morris and Josh Tongue also in contention, while youngsters Dillon Pennington and Adam Finch continue to shine in their occasional cameos, it seemed in the autumn that pace was no pressing concern. To that end, Wayne Parnell - unable to feature in 2020 due to international travel restrictions, and deprived of Kolpak status due to Brexit - was released. And following him out of the door, sadly, was young left-arm orthodox spinner Ben Twohig, whose years of apprenticeship under the great Norman Gifford never translated into a meaningful first-team impact. As the part-time leg-breaks of Dolly provided only a handful of wickets at an eye-watering average north of 40, and Moeen Ali continues to be a bit-part player due to foreign and international commitments, addressing the longstanding Achilles heel of spin was the order of the day at New Road, and accordingly the county spent a good chunk of the winter pursuing the signature of South African left-armer Keshav Maharaj to fill the gap. But fresh injury woes for Josh Tongue, who's set to miss the start of the season, led the Pears to feel that another frontline pace option to capitalise on springtime conditions was a must; so in addition to extending the contract of Academy youngster Mitchell Stanley, the club will be welcoming West Indian Test quick Alzarri Joseph for the first seven matches, before hopefully securing a spinner for the second half of the season.

With champions Essex up first, and a host of tough games to follow, Worcestershire will need to hit the ground running. But after last summer, there's at least a sense that good things may again be just around the corner. Come on you Pears.

[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

The Pears have named an unchanged squad from the pre-season friendlies for Thursday's trip down to Essex, with Gareth Roderick expected to make his full debut. Alzarri Joseph, who arrived in the UK on Sunday, is in quarantine for the weekend and won't feature until the Derbyshire match at the earliest, but his absence may provide an opportunity for Dillon Pennington, whose 15 pre-season wickets included an excellent burst of 6-36 against Kent.

Venue: County Ground, Chelmsford

Last Visit: September 2018, Essex won by an innings and 129 runs

Highest Pears innings: 650-7 declared, June 2006

Highest individual Pears score: 244 - Philip Anthony Jaques, June 2006

Highest Pears partnership: 279, 1st wicket - Cyril Frederick Walters & Harold Harry Ian Haywood Gibbons, May 1934

[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

County Championship, Group One

vs Essex

Day One

Morning: Essex won the toss and elected to bat on a sunny but bitterly cold early April morning in Chelmsford. It was a fairly straightforward decision on what quickly proved to be a batting pitch, but some very tight and disciplined bowling from Worcestershire kept the Essex openers on a leash and generated a couple of half-chances in the first hour. The breakthrough eventually came courtesy of a full, straight delivery from Charlie Morris which tempted Sir Alastair Cook onto the front foot and rapped him plumb on the pad for 15. Trundling along at scarcely more than two runs an over, the home side attempted to up the tempo as the session wore on, but after edging one ball from Ed Barnard that fell just short of first slip, Nick Browne finally drove low and hard to cover for 26, and a cagey couple of hours concluded with Essex going in for lunch on 74-2.

Afternoon: By two o'clock the pitch was incredibly benign, but the half-chances kept coming here and there, and Barnard was rewarded a second time when a delivery nipped back to dismiss Dan Lawrence LBW for 46. That proved to be the final wicket of the day, though Brett D'Oliveira did sterling work tying up one end on a wicket hardly conducive to early leg-spin, and Essex reached tea on 167-3.

Evening: A little more excitement in the fading light as Dolly came close to dismissing Paul Walter twice; once with a ball that trickled back of the pads and nearly hit the stumps, and once with a spectacular effort for a caught and bowled. Ultimately, despite the floodlights being used, the umpires and their meter held sway and the day's play concluded seven deliveries after the second new ball was taken, with Essex 207-3. A promising start for the home side, and definitely one they can build on if there's no significant deterioration in conditions tomorrow; however, in the circumstances Worcestershire also have plenty to be proud of in their bowling performance, and will remain in the game as long as they can sustain their discipline.

[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

Day Two

Morning: A bright but cold Friday morning by the River Can, and despite beating the bat several times, the early momentum wasn't with the visitors. Tom Westley reached three figures before the eventual breakthrough came, and it was his partner Paul Walter to depart, nicking an Ed Barnard ball to second slip for 38. Ryan ten Doeschate came in bent on scoring quickly, but on the stroke of lunch Brett D'Oliveira was rewarded for his persistence when he floated up a straight ball which the Dutchman missed with the bat, and was dismissed LBW for a brisk 30. Still, Essex stood on an ominous 312-5 at lunch.

Afternoon: With the flags at half-mast to mark the Duke of Edinburgh's death, Westley and Adam Wheater put together a troublesome partnership that piled on 127 for no loss during the second session, bringing up the double century for the former and significantly diminishing Worcestershire's hopes as they carried the hosts to 439-5 at tea.

Evening: Feeling free to hit out at will, the wickets finally tumbled as the sun declined. Westley was first to go for 213 when he skipped down the pitch to Dolly and slogged an agricultural shot to wide long-on; Charlie Morris then capitalised with a ball that kept low and surprised Simon Harmer for pace, adjudged LBW for 1, and claimed the wicket of Ben Allison for 13 when the latter pulled to deep midwicket. There was time for Dolly to claim one more when Wheater departed for 87 in a similar fashion to Westley, and then the Essex declaration came on 490-9. With twenty-six overs for the Pears to negotiate before stumps, the openers navigated a cautious path to 32-0 off the new ball, only for an absolute hammer-blow to fall at the day's end as Sam Cook bowled Daryl Mitchell for 16 before removing both Tom Fell and debutant Gareth Roderick for a duck apiece, each caught at slip. Reaching a miserable 43-3 at stumps, there'll be a long time overnight for the Pears to contemplate the two days that now have to be batted out to save this game.

[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

Day Three

Morning: A Saturday as dim and overcast as Worcestershire hopes began with Brett D'Oliveira perishing to the second ball of the day, which skidded low on to his pad and sent him packing without adding to his overnight score of 6. At a truly dreadful 43-4, it looked like Essex would wrap up a twelfth consecutive home victory with time to spare, but Riki Wessels came to the crease determined to take the fight to the southerners. Scoring at his usual brisk pace, driving confidently on the off-side and down the ground, he brought up his fifty off just eighty-two balls, hurrying the Pears along to 132 before Jamie Porter pinned him deep in the crease with a nip-backer right in front of the stumps, LBW for 54. Nevertheless, Jake Libby stood strong at the other end, having brought up his own half-century, needing only a partner to stick around with him and rebuild an innings that stood on 142-5 at lunch.

Afternoon: Still requiring a couple of hundred just to beat the follow-on, the second session got off to the worst possible start as Ben Cox became the latest LBW casualty in the first over after resumption, attempting an ill-advised sweep to Simon Harmer for just 7. From that point, everything depended on Libby continuing his rearguard and Ed Barnard giving the opener the necessary support. There was an anxious moment when the former was struck on the pads offering no shot, but Simon Harmer's appeal fell on deaf ears, and Libby immediately rubbed salt into the wound by skipping down the pitch and lofting the off-spinner for four over cow corner. Barnard found the rope with relative ease too, playing some elegant leg-glances and cover-drives to keep the scoreboard ticking, bringing up his half-century from ninety balls with a single off Harmer, and there was time for Libby to complete his century with a swift two off the same bowler before the Pears took tea on a considerably healthier 239-6.

Evening: Of course, facing the second new ball and still standing over a hundred short of the follow-on, there was plenty of work yet to be done. But Libby and Barnard were only too happy to accelerate against an Essex attack who were suddenly flagging and growing frustrated; a mark of which came when Sam Cook, four-wicket hero earlier in the innings, had a needless shy at the stumps which flew for four overthrows around half past four. Shortly thereafter, the Pears broke the county record for a seventh-wicket partnership against Essex, surpassing the 126 of Graeme Hick and Duncan Catterall at Chelmsford in September 1999, and even then there were still personal milestones to be marked off: Barnard broke his previous first-class best of 75 (scored against Durham at New Road in September 2017) a little after five o'clock, and continued to find the boundary with confidence as he moved into the nineties, before polishing off his maiden first-class century by tucking Jamie Porter behind square leg for a brisk couple. After twelve career half-centuries without a conversion, the celebrations were sufficiently warm on an all-too-cold April evening, but the main concern remained avoiding the follow-on and surviving till stumps; the irrepressible Barnard achieved the former with a splendid off-drive, and though Libby found himself subject to a late appeal for a catch off Simon Harmer, Worcestershire closed safely on 350-6, trailing by 140. A day that unquestionably belonged to the visitors, who - for the time being, at least - have put the reigning champions in the long-forgotten position of not getting their way on their own turf. All that remains on the final day, with Essex being required to bat again, is for the Pears to keep a firm grip: see out as much of the morning and get as close to parity as possible; make the champions work hard for runs in the second innings, and then steer the game towards a draw that's been thoroughly deserved on the balance of play.

[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

Day Four

Morning: Resuming on 350-6 on a sunny Sunday that remained unseasonably cold, Jake Libby and Ed Barnard were still run-hungry, the latter finding the first boundary with a cover-drive off Simon Harmer, before the latter skipped down the pitch and heaved the spinner over long-on for six. It was gone noon before Essex finally broke the marathon partnership, just twelve runs short of what would have been an all-time county record for the seventh wicket, when Dan Lawrence got a ball to turn back through the gate as Barnard attempted a drive, bowling him for a magnificent 128. The stay of Joe Leach was a brief one, as he was strangled down the legside for 1 in the very next over, but just as it looked like the tail might fold, Dillon Pennington came out with a point to prove and helped guide the Pears to lunch at 405-8.

Afternoon: Whether he'd spent time in the nets or just had his Weetabix for breakfast, Pennington was determined to make the most of his cameo, and wheeled out all the shots on his way to a 103-ball half-century, scoring no less than nine boundaries including a pull through fine leg off Paul Walter to bring up the milestone. Throwing caution to the wind shortly after, the number ten was stumped for 56 off the bowling of Simon Harmer, who subsequently dismissed last man Charlie Morris LBW for 6, tragically stranding Libby just five runs short of a new career best. An early tea was taken in the innings break, with Essex left to contemplate a largely academic lead of fifteen runs after Worcestershire's unlikely charge to 475 all out.

Evening: In what remained of the afternoon sunlight, with snow falling elsewhere in the country and clouds rapidly closing in over the River Can, the contest was reduced to a fairly leisurely exercise in batting, bowling and fielding practice. Before the inevitable handshake - or rather, the Covid-friendly fist-bump that's replaced it - there was time for Joe Leach to get the huge reward his captaincy had merited over the weekend, clattering Sir Alastair Cook's middle stump with a peach of a late inswinger for 12. Twenty minutes later we were all done, and the Pears had the honour of being the first team since June 2018 to frustrate Essex on home soil.

Match DRAWN

The Verdict: Short of a miracle win that even the most optimistic Worcestershire fans wouldn't have dared dream of, this was the best possible result to commence the season. Though a flatter-than-usual Chelmsford pitch undoubtedly played a role in the draw, the resilience of Worcestershire - and particularly Jake Libby - shouldn't be underestimated. Carrying the bat for the first time in his career - the first Pears player to do so since Daryl Mitchell against Hampshire in July 2015 - Libby was on the field for every single minute of all four days in this fixture, spending twelve hours at the crease and facing nearly five hundred deliveries. Together with Riki Wessels, Ed Barnard and Dillon Pennington, he weathered over sixty overs of spin from Simon Harmer, enough to skittle most sides twice over, in building Worcs up from 43-4 to a match-saving total of 475. While a critical eye can certainly be cast over the rest of the top order, and appropriate improvements expected next weekend, the county now appears to have a spine that's not easily breakable, and that can only mean good things for the season to come.

[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

After an opening weekend which saw draws in all three Group One fixtures, the field is wide open as the Pears venture up to Derby tomorrow for the second match of the Championship season. With Adam Finch dropping out of the first-team squad to play with the second XI at Kidderminster, Alzarri Joseph completes the twelve in contention for selection after completing his spell of quarantine. Dillon Pennington is the most likely to make way for the West Indian if, as seems likely, his availability merits inclusion in the side; elsewhere, as the stattos and number-crumbers have now concluded that Jake Libby's innings against Essex was the second-longest in the County Championship since records began, just two minutes short of Jason Gallian's 11-hour-23-minute 312 for Lancashire in 1996, Worcestershire will be hoping he's got enough energy left to go the distance again.

Venue: County Ground, Derby

Last Visit: May 2017, Worcestershire won by an innings and 42 runs

Highest Pears innings: 560 all out, July 1993

Highest individual Pears score: 246 - Stephen Colin Moore, May 2005

Highest Pears partnership: 309, 1st wicket - Henry Knollys Foster & Frederick Lloyd Bowley, August 1901

[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

County Championship, Group One

vs Derbyshire

Day One

Morning: Pears won the toss and put Derbyshire in to bat on a green-tinged pitch beneath sunny but windy Derby skies. For a short while it seemed like a sensible decision; Joe Leach angled a delivery in towards Luis Reece in the very first over, and the opener was LBW for 4 playing across the line. However, though a series of chances and half-chances followed, with catches of varying difficulty going down both high and low, the hosts scored at a brisk and confident pace during a second-wicket partnership that reached lunch on 119-1, comfortably claiming the best of the session.

Afternoon: The stand desperately needed breaking, and it was Leach who did the honours, enticing Billy Godleman to push forward at a delivery that moved away from him and was caught behind for 50. With the door open, Dillon Pennington supplied the next breakthrough quickly with a ball that jumped up off a length, taking the shoulder of Wayne Madsen's bat for a sharp and superb catch above head height at second slip for 1. From there, Matt Critchley and Leus Du Plooy resumed the resistance and the relatively carefree scoring for Derbyshire, and the latter looked good for a century before attempting to pull Brett D'Oliveira into the legside on 98 and being bowled, rewarding the Pears leggy for another long and economical showing. 249-4 at tea, the session was slightly more even than the first, but with the advantage overall still firmly belonging to the home side.

Evening: There was a long, cold and miserable couple of hours in store for the visitors after the break, with Derbyshire seemingly on the verge of batting Worcestershire out of the game. It took until nearly half past six before the clatter of wickets began, with the first pair in consecutive deliveries from Ed Barnard, who dismissed centurion Matt Critchley LBW for 108 and then struck new man Anoj Dal a glancing blow on the front pad which was also adjudged leg-before for a golden duck. After surviving the hat-trick ball and steadying the ship briefly, Derbyshire then faced another two dismissals in two balls, this time from debutant Alzarri Joseph; Fynn Hudson-Prentice edged behind for 6, and a wicked swinging yorker sent Michael Cohen packing for another golden duck. Those four late scalps made the scoreboard a little more respectable as the hosts closed on 360-8, still the clear victors on a day where they lost the toss and were put in to bat, but allowing the Pears a much-needed foothold in the game.

[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

Day Two

Morning: Far from a perfect start to the second day as an early catch went down at second slip, granting a life to Ben Aitchison. The tail-ender didn't cash in too much on it though, reaching only 11 before he gloved a bouncer from Ed Barnard high in the air for a simple catch behind, granting the Pears maximum bowling points with just three deliveries to spare. The same bowler then wrapped things up with a wicked ball that sent Sam Conners' off-stump cartwheeling out of the ground for a duck, leaving the hosts 390 all out; an imposing enough score, even though it was thankfully under 400. Sadly, after his marathon last weekend it was always on the cards that Jake Libby would go cheaply this time round, and sure enough, he copped a first-baller from Conners for a duck. And there was still time for it to go from bad to worse as Daryl Mitchell was bowled for 9 by an inswinger from Fynn Hudson-Prentice, reducing Worcestershire to 25-2 at lunch.

Afternoon: It didn't get any easier or any better. After racking up his first runs for the county with a couple of boundaries, Gareth Roderick was the next to fall for a mediocre 12, caught and bowled by Matt Critchley. Alone among the top order, Tom Fell showed the intent and ability to stick around, scoring a 114-ball half-century in the process; however, he too had to return to the pavilion when a full, angled delivery trapped him leg-before for 69. And on the stroke of tea, Brett D'Oliveira became the fourth casualty of a fairly dismal session when he edged to slip for 27, leaving the Pears 135-5.

Evening: The standard Riki Wessels counter-attack kept the scoreboard ticking as the pinch-hitter reached his fifty off seventy-seven balls - five fewer than it took against Essex last Saturday - but unfortunately he couldn't go the distance, and was bowled by a googly from Critchley on 60. 217-6 became 231-7 when Ben Cox became the unfortunate victim of a ball ricocheting off his bat on an attempted leave, bowling him for 24. With Ed Barnard and Alzarri Joseph the last line of any serious batting resistance, it was vital that they reach stumps without further loss, and that they did, avoiding the follow-on in the process. But closing on 243-7, there's no disguising the mountain that now has to be climbed on the last two days.

[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

Day Three

Morning: Despite facing the second new ball, Ed Barnard and Alzarri Joseph saw no reason to play it safe on a sunny Saturday morning, unleashing the full range of shots as they pushed the Pears on. A 51-run partnership brought up the second batting point for Worcs before the former was caught at slip for 23 attempting to drive Matt Critchley, and Joe Leach was subsequently caught at cover for 7. Nevertheless, Joseph had time for one last bash, heaving Critchley for six down the ground and securing the third batting point in what proved to be the last scoring shot of the innings; he was bowled for a fine 46 later in the same over, leaving the Pears 305 all out. In their second innings, Derbyshire opener Billy Godleman then retired on 5 with a suspected groin, but the hosts otherwise reached lunch without loss on 23-0.

Afternoon: A brilliant one-handed reaction catch behind the stumps off Alzarri Joseph accounted for Luis Reece on 17, and a second breakthough came when Leeus Du Plooy shuffled somewhat absent-mindedly towards the offside during the bowler's run-up, exposing his leg stump for Ed Barnard to demolish with an absolute bullet, reducing Derbyshire to 78-2 in time for the break in play to observe Prince Phillip's funeral.

Evening: Following the funeral and tea interval, Derbyshire rebuilt impressively and extended their lead to a position of domination. The dibbly-dobblies of Daryl Mitchell eventually accounted for both Wayne Madsen, trapped LBW on the back foot for 66, and Matt Critchley bowled for 84, and soon after Anoj Dal was bowled for 7 by Brett D'Oliveira whilst attempting a cut. But the hosts still closed on 268-5, already with a potentially match-winning lead of 353, and the only real mystery is why they held off making a declaration. One way or another, when it eventually comes, Worcestershire will be forced to try and bat out the final day on a pitch that's showing significant signs of turn.