[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

T20 Blast, North Group

vs Nottinghamshire

New Road, Worcester

Worcs innings: Notts won the toss and put the Pears in to bat on a bright-but-muggy June evening with a low ceiling of cloud over New Road. In recent years Worcester pitches have often been slow, sticky puddings in white-ball cricket, and this was a typical specimen that had boundaries at a premium as long as bowlers kept pace off the ball. Brett D'Oliveira was the first casualty, stumped somewhat comically off a wide for 5 as he came down the pitch to Matt Carter; Moeen Ali came out full of positive intent, but was sent right back after a quickfire 6 when Carter bowled him with a ball that seemed to trickle onto the stumps off the skipper's pads. Riki Wessels had by far the most success in the early overs with a couple of well-placed boundaries, but he fell victim to a direct hit on a risky single and trudged back to the pavilion with just 14 to his name, leaving the Pears three down inside the powerplay. From there it was necessarily a circumspect innings: Ben Cox was caught and bowled for 14 just at the point when it seemed like he might kick on, while Ross Whiteley timed his own acceleration a little more prudently, supplying a crucial pair of inventive sixes - one pulled over the shoulder between the keeper and fine leg, and the other smashed into the boundary cushion at deep square - before holing out on the cover boundary for 42 in the final over. Jake Libby, who'd played a huge hand in rebuilding the innings with an assured half-century above a run a ball, milked a single off the third delivery of that last over to reach the unbeaten 52 that he'd finish on, and thus had a front-row seat from which to watch Ed Barnard tackle the last three balls, smoking the first over midwicket for six, paddle-scooping the next over fine leg for four, and then perishing off the last ball of the innings as Worcestershire reached a competitive 152-6.

Notts innings: Displaying a fairly astounding inability to learn the lesson of what had been working for the previous hour-and-half, the Pears came out for the Notts powerplay and promptly set about bowling pace deliveries that Joe Clarke and Alex Hales merrily dispatched to all corners of the ground in a flurry of boundaries that saw the visitors knock off half the required runs in just thirty-five balls. The back of the chase seemed broken, and the subsequent departure of Hales - caught at long-off for 31 off Charlie Morris with the last ball of the powerplay - felt like a cheap consolation prize. The spinners came on from there to shut the door of a decidedly empty stable, and overseas man Ish Sodhi instantly endeared himself to the local crowd by having Clarke caught at long-on for 45. It then became three in three overs when a ball from Moeen Ali skidded on to Ben Duckett's front pad for an easy LBW decision, and the skipper went on to nab a second scalp in the middle overs courtesy of a full-length Superman catch from Ross Whiteley at deep midwicket to dismiss Tom Moores for 12. At 100-4, needing under a run a ball, Notts seemed happy to keep milking the slow stuff for occasional singles, trusting veterans Peter Trego and Samit Patel to get them home; but as the spinners tightened the screw, panic and fatigue appeared to set in. Patel, on a hard-fought 11, was wading through treacle when Trego called him through for a second run in the sixteenth over and had him run out. A decent spell saw Notts close in on victory again, only for Steven Mullaney to slice a Morris delivery to short third man in the penultimate over, exposing the tail right at the death. Needing just three runs from the last four balls, Peter Trego sold Luke Fletcher down the river with a single that was never on, having him run out and bringing Matt Carter to the crease; three needed from three. Josh Tongue followed up with a dot ball - three now needed from two - before Carter scuffed the penultimate ball to the legside, bringing Trego on strike with two runs required off the last delivery. In a near re-run of the World Cup final, Trego hacked the ball into the onside, ran the first safely, but could only watch helpless as the throw to Ben Cox left him stranded, finishing an extraordinary match with honours even.

Match TIED

The Verdict: An incandescent and timely advertisement for the excitement, passion and quality of county-based T20 at a time when the Blast is copping flak from traditionalists and Hundred advocates alike. A riveting and absorbing contest that (quite hilariously, from a Worcs perspective) all but mirrored the 2019 semi-final which Notts also bottled at the death, and made the case for T20 remaining the king among the game's increasingly multifarious sub-three-hour formats. A critical eye must point out that the disastrously misjudged powerplay cost the Pears what might well have been a comfortable win; however, there's no faulting the fightback and the spirit that pulled a result out of the fire to commence this campaign.

[themaclad]

It's always funny when Notts cock up as for 20/20 saw the Lancs match on line and what summed the slap it to all parts game was the wicket of Hudson-Prentice he was satanding a good yyard outside his off stump to a left arm over the wicket bowler.
Instead of aiming at the stumps the bowler fired the ball to the offside of the batsman, he managed to hit the ball that was basically pitching first bounce on the adjoining wicket he was caught at short third man.
20/20 is a false game can only imagine how bad the Hundred will be

[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

Any qualms I may have about the quality of T20 batting are more than outweighed by the sight of little kids enthralled by each and every ball of an innings, cheering phenomenal catches, forming an emotional connection with their home county, learning the basic laws of the game in a straightforward way (which they can later apply to the longer, purer forms), and getting to watch a whole match between school and bedtime which they'll remember for years to come.

The Hundred isn't needed. But county T20 is.

[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

T20 Blast, North Group

vs Northamptonshire

Wantage Road, Northampton

Worcs innings: Northants won the toss and put an unchanged Pears side in to bat on a warm, golden Friday evening at Wantage Road. Riki Wessels was a powerplay casualty again, striking an early leg-glance for four off Ben Sanderson, but being bowled off the very next delivery for 8; perhaps wary of the slight collapse which had seen the team three down in the powerplay on Wednesday, there was some cautious batting for the next few overs, and Worcestershire were just 36-1 off the opening six. But there was no keeping Moeen Ali on a leash for long, and whenever Northants offered him width outside off, the ball flew to the rope. On his way to a 28-ball half-century the skipper dispatched Wayne Parnell for a couple of sixes - one a convincing pull over mid-on, the other a fortunate top-edge that steepled over third man and landed (after a vertical descent) barely an inch beyond the boundary - but after bringing up his fifty with a fourth six, he was caught for 52 in the same over. Brett D'Oliveira, who'd lashed a couple of sixes down the ground himself en route to his 43, was caught behind a couple of overs later; but at 139-3 after fifteen, it still felt like the Pears had a solid platform to build on. Nevertheless, Northants fought hard to put the brakes on, and Jake Libby was yorked for 12 while Ross Whiteley ended his own cameo by holing out for 23. With Ed Barnard departing for just 2, it fell to Ben Cox to club a crucial 26 off ten balls before being caught off the final delivery, lifting Worcestershire to a very handy 185-7.

Northants innings: In the balmy, floodlit dusk, Worcs got off to the best possible start as Josh Tongue bowled a real loosener outside off which was promptly slapped straight to Dolly at backward point, who thankfully held on to what might well have ploughed through him like a cannonball. With Richard Levi gone for a duck off the first ball and the scoreboard reading 0-1, the hosts might have been forgiven for mimicking Worcestershire's early caution, but just two overs later it was the turn of Ricardo Vasconcelos to trudge back to the pavilion, caught for 1 off another Superman effort by Whiteley off the bowling of Charlie Morris. The seamer turned two into three within the powerplay when Josh Cobb, who'd attacked very effectively after coming to the crease, was deceived by a slower ball which was caught at mid-on for 29, and once Ish Sodhi bowled Adam Rossington for 22 off his first delivery, leaving Northants 53-4, their chances all but evaporated. Wayne Parnell, in at least eight overs too soon, was stumped for 11 trying to thwack Moeen out of the ground, and the skipper made it a pair when Rob Keogh holed out to deep midwicket for 26. Some smart keeping saw Tom Taylor run out for 3 before Northants had even reached three figures, and at 98-7 they might have been forgiven for giving up the ghost, so credit is due to tail-ender Saif Zaib who began creaming boundaries on all sides of the ground, regaining a slender foothold in the game for his side. However, Zaib departed for 36 in the penultimate over after trying to push for one run too many, and in the same over, Ben Dwarshuis made up for a considerably less-than-auspicious start at New Road by taking his first Pears wicket, having Graeme White caught for 7 at deep point as Worcestershire strolled home.

Worcestershire WIN by thirty-two runs

The Verdict: After some Jekyll-and-Hyde stuff with both bat and ball against Notts, this was a comprehensive performance and a deserved victory to get right on track. The pace attack is still slightly suspect at times, and prone to go for runs, but Sodhi and Moeen with Dolly in reserve is a magnificent armoury for the middle overs that may well see the Pears to another finals day this summer.

[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

One-Day Cup, Group A

vs Kent

New Road, Worcester

Kent innings: The Pears won the toss and put Kent in to bat on a Sunday with plenty of cloud cover as the week-long heatwave broke. On a hybrid pitch, opener Ollie Robinson (not that one, the other one) departed for just 13 in the sixth over when caught at cover off Charlie Morris, and just three overs later, Heino Kuhn - the scourge of Worcestershire in the last meeting between the sides - was run out by a direct hit for 19. Promising young left-armer Josh Baker, successor to the departed Ben Twohig, then claimed his first List A wicket with an arm ball that slid on to a foxed Tawanda Muyeye and removed the Zimbabwean's middle stump for 22, reducing the visitors to 65-3. However, George Munsey and Harry Finch stuck together in a partnership that lasted the better part of thirty overs, seeing both batsmen to a half-century and the Spitfires to a threatening platform. In the end, Adam Finch struck the latter plumb on the pad on 84, treating the scorecard to the novelty of Finch LBW b Finch; after completing an excellent century, Munsey then departed in the same fashion to Ed Barnard to leave Kent 255-5, and though the tail managed to score the requisite ten an over for the loss of just two more wickets to reach a competitive 322-7, at the interval it felt that the Pears had done just enough to stay in the game.

Worcs innings: Opener Josh Dell went the same way as his Kent counterpart Robinson, caught at cover for 20, but otherwise the first half of the innings was deceptively straightforward, with only one further wicket falling - that of half-centurion Tom Fell, caught behind for 57 - as the hosts eased to a comfortable 166-2 that was, quite literally, too good to be true. The collapse began with Jake Libby caught low at backward point for 17, followed by a needless top-edge from Jack Haynes, caught at deep square leg for 77, once again guilty of doing all the hard work only to throw his wicket away. Consecutive overs then saw off the increasingly hapless Gareth Roderick for 5 and debutant Jacques Banton for 1, taking the Pears from 166-2 to 184-6 with just sixteen overs to score 139. As Ed Barnard looked a little out of nick and anchored things at a run a ball, it fell to skipper Joe Leach to do the dirty work that followed. As Kent persisted in bowling straight at the big man, one thunderous legside blow after another was carted over the boundary en route to a 37-ball fifty; nevertheless, the required rate was still north of ten an over with five remaining when Leach tonked three consecutive Marcus O'Riordan deliveries down the ground for a six-four-six streak. Another couple of maximums off Grant Stewart brought the asking rate down under a run a ball with two overs left, when the inevitable spanner flew into the works. Having set a new record seventh-wicket List A partnership for the county, and brought the chase within one hit of a win, Leach was dismissed LBW for 88 by Matt Milnes, bringing young Baker to the crease, suddenly on strike with four needed off the last over. The left-arm whiz-kid threw the kitchen sink at a bouncer first up, it caught the top-edge... and flew high over the keeper's head to wrap things up.

Worcestershire WIN by three wickets

The Verdict: The first meeting of these sides since the thrilling encounter in the 2018 semi-final of the same competition, and it was another day to remember with a happier ending for Worcestershire this time around. At a time when the Hundred is demanding the attention and the loyalty of fans, county cricket - even shorn of some of its top talent - continues to demonstrate why loyalty must always be earned.

[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

One-Day Cup, Group A

vs Gloucestershire

County Ground, Bristol

Worcs innings: Gloucestershire won the toss and put the Pears in to bat on a damp Tuesday morning threatening plenty of rain. After a positive start, Brett D'Oliveira was caught at backward point for 14 off Josh Shaw, which proved the beginning of a regular fall of wickets. Tom Fell made just 13 before being caught behind off left-arm spinner Tom Smith, and though he completed another assured half-century, Jack Haynes holed out on the pull to deep square leg on 59, at the beginning of a fourteen-over spell without a single boundary. Graeme van Buuren then got two in two balls with Jake Libby caught and bowled for 33 and Ed Barnard LBW for a golden duck, reducing the Pears to 134-5; the sixth-wicket partnership repaired some of the damage, but on the verge of a rain break Gareth Roderick was bowled by a Shaw delivery that nipped back, leaving Worcestershire on a precarious 194-6 during the subsequent delay. Upon resumption, only one run was added before Josh Dell was caught at extra cover for a run-a-ball 32, and it fell to young Josh Baker and big Joe Leach to strike a few lusty blows as fresh rainclouds gathered, in aid of lifting Worcs up to a vaguely defendable 228-7 when the weather brought a premature end to the innings with three deliveries remaining.

Gloucs innings: Messrs Duckworth, Lewis and Stern are seldom kind to teams who bat first and weigh in light on runs and heavy on wickets; sure enough, when play resumed at half past five, Gloucestershire were chasing a target of 115 off fourteen overs, which should have been fairly straightforward. But with the hosts looking to kill things off quickly, Leach was able to take two early scalps in his first over, having Ben Charlesworth caught at short third man for 1 and new man Tom Lace caught at cover for a duck. Gloucs kept up with the run-rate, but the further wicket of Chris Dent - caught behind for 25 off the bowling of Adam Finch - did their DLS calculation no favours when the rain returned before six o'clock with the score 46-3. The resumption at quarter-past pushed the asking rate above nine, with the revised target 48 off 31 balls; still an eminently feasible chase with seven wickets in hand, and sure enough, twenty-five runs off the first thirteen deliveries gave Gloucestershire the momentum. But after Leach bowled a tight line and length to push the equation up to 22 off the last two overs, Baker was entrusted with the penultimate over, and delivered a magnificent showing under pressure with four singles conceded and Jack Taylor caught at backward point for 11. Leach then returned for the climax in a welcome flood of evening sunshine, and the hosts never looked capable of getting close to the 18 still required off him, ensuring that the Pears once again crossed the line against the odds.

Worcestershire WIN by eleven runs (D/L)

The Verdict: The One-Day Cup continues to enthral as an alternative to the Hundred, and following Worcestershire's disappointing exit from the T20 Blast, back to back wins are a great way to get the ball rolling. Worryingly, it's the bowlers carrying the team right now with both bat and ball - Josh Baker in particular is making a bit of a name for himself - and something will have to be done about the top and middle order if the Pears are to present a threat in the competition in the long run. But points on the board are points on the board.

[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

One-Day Cup, Group A

vs Essex

County Ground, Chelmsford

Worcs innings: Essex won the toss and put an unchanged Pears side in to bat on a used pitch under cloudy Thursday afternoon skies. Whatever the plan was for the hosts, it came off the rails very quickly. Though understandably wary of the batting collapses that marred the first two matches, Brett D'Oliveira and Jack Haynes still scored at a comfortable six an over through the powerplay, and after sixteen overs, approaching an unbroken stand of a hundred, Dolly brought up his half-century by skipping down the track and pulling Simon Harmer over square leg for six. It set the tone for what was to come; Haynes completed yet another fifty of his own and began to steadily accelerate above a run a ball, intent on making the real milestone with a fine series of risk-free back-foot shots on the off-side. Dolly was first to hit the hundred, tucking Tom Westley into the leg-side and notching his first List A century at the fifty-eighth attempt, but his joy was nothing to that of Haynes when he finally struck his maiden professional ton in any format, stroking Aron Nijjar to long-off for a single in the teatime sunshine, leaping and punching the air even as he trotted down the pitch, with his partner mirroring the glee at the other end. After a punch of gloves and a hearty embrace normal service resumed, at least until Dolly holed out for 123 off Shane Snater; that prompted the somewhat inevitable fall of dominoes, with pinch-hitter Joe Leach LBW for 1 to Nijjar, Tom Fell caught for 2, Jake Libby run out for 3, and Ed Barnard caught behind for 3 trying a reverse sweep. Through it all, Jack Haynes just continued to steal the show, thumping sixes down the ground en route to another half-century before he was finally stumped by Adam Wheater for a superlative 153, leaving the Pears 300-6 with four overs remaining. Ten an over would have been the hope from there, but Gareth Roderick could only offer his now-standard single figure score with 7, and it was thus down to the two Joshes - Dell and Baker - to lift the Pears up to 338-7 off the fifty; the former with 27 above a run a ball, including three fours, and the latter with a useful six to round off a very decent knock.

Essex innings: The winning momentum just grew and grew as Charlie Morris kicked off the reply by sending down three consecutive dot balls, then yorked Will Buttleman with the fourth and clattered off-stump for a duck. Three overs later, Joe Leach got a length ball to nip back to Tom Westley after the Essex man had made a bright start, clean bowling him for 14 and leaving the home side 15-2. It got worse still for them; in his very next over, Leach coaxed some extra bounce from the pitch and had Michael Pepper caught behind for a duck, and two balls later, Ryan ten Doeschate also copped a shiny egg when another nip-backer struck the Dutchman plumb in front. From 17-4 a major rebuild took place, and with Sir Alastair Cook leading by example, Essex struggled into the eighties off the first twenty overs. But even a knight of the realm was no match for a slow ball from Ed Barnard, and Cook was caught at mid-off for 42; then the incoming Simon Harmer swiftly became the outgoing Simon Harmer when he edged the very next ball behind for a golden duck. There was no hat-trick for Barnard, but at 87-6, still trailing by 251 runs, the remainder of the match was all but a formality. Josh Baker chipped in and got a deserved scalp when Nijjar holed out for 2 to deep midwicket, and having performed so well with the bat, it was only fitting for Dolly to supply the final three wickets, dismissing Essex for a miserable 156 and duly wrapping up a thumping win on the road.

Worcestershire WIN by one hundred and eighty-two runs

The Verdict: While there may have been doubts hanging over the first couple of performances, this was a real drubbing of an Essex side with their fair share of white-ball talent, and a close to flawless performance from Worcestershire. The new county record List A opening partnership from Haynes and D'Oliveira was undoubtedly the platform for victory, and Haynes in particular is increasingly looking like the real deal. But it was also a disciplined showing with the ball and in the field, and the only slight negative overall was the clatter of wickets that followed Dolly's departure, though perhaps an understandable side-effect of going on the attack to capitalise on the gigantic opening stand. The win puts Worcestershire at the top of the group, with Lancashire the only other team unbeaten, and bottom side Middlesex up next.

[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

County Championship, Division Three

vs Sussex

Day One

Morning: Sussex won the toss and elected to bat on a cloudy, chilly Bank Holiday Monday at New Road with autumn very much in the air. The visitors had thrust youth to the fore with a line-up featuring six teenagers and an average age of just over nineteen, but the openers weathered the first forty minutes well despite playing and missing on a number of occasions. Joe Leach made the eventual breakthrough with a full straight ball striking the front pad of Sussex captain Tom Haines and removing him LBW for 20. Left-hander Harrison Ward then made only 1 before wafting the bat at an Adam Finch delivery angled across him and edging to third slip. Then shortly before lunch, James Coles attempted a straight drive to a ball pitched up from Dillon Pennington and lost his off-stump for 12, leaving the away side 71-3 at lunch; a fairly even score that was probably marginally more satisfying for the Pears, having lost the toss.

Afternoon: It all went wrong very quickly for Sussex after the resumption as Joe Leach went on the warpath; with the final delivery of the session's first over, Oliver Carter was bowled for a duck by a ball nipping sharply in past a half-shouldered bat, and then the first delivery of the next from Leach saw the skipper on a hat-trick as loanee Fynn Hudson-Prentice edged behind for another duck. The remaining opener, Ali Orr, completed his half-century in a vital anchoring knock, but when his back foot slipped onto the stumps on 52 to dismiss him hit wicket and leave Sussex 97-6, the pendulum swung sharply in Worcestershire's favour. Still, the visitors counter-attacked well, and despite losing a further wicket when Archie Lenham tried to pull Ed Barnard and edged behind for 20, 174-7 at tea represented a significant recovery.

Evening: Another early wicket for Joe Leach, trapping Dan Ibrahim LBW for 48 to leave Sussex 183-8. But matches turn on little moments, and Jack Carson edging behind on 2 and then being reprieved by a no ball call proved to be costly for the Pears. The tail-ender led the fightback from there, scoring freely off the spinners as he raced to a comfortable half-century and then a career-best score. There was a depressing dearth of yorkers and bouncers to test out the batsmen, and just when it looked like Worcs were guilty of letting things drift and waiting for the new ball, Brett D'Oliveira struck with the final ball of an otherwise expensive over to remove number ten Henry Crocombe LBW for 9. There was only time for four more deliveries in the day before the umpires decided that the growing gloom was unacceptable and called the players off with the score 254-9.

Having allowed the Sussex tail to wag, it's crucial for Worcestershire to strike early tomorrow and get the innings ended quickly. The forecast will be cloudy all week and batting is unlikely to get easier; this could well be a tight, low-scoring affair all round, and every run is precious.

[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

Day Two

Morning: More of the same weatherwise, and thankfully only a further ten runs were added to the overnight score before Joe Leach enticed Jack Carson into attempting a straight drive and bowled him for 87. As in the Sussex innings, the early overs of the reply were relatively drama-free, but after a couple of streaky shots Jake Libby was bowled by Fynn Hudson-Prentice for 28, and the inevitable procession began. Daryl Mitchell was caught behind for 16, and Tom Fell contributed just 11 before being caught at short leg. Thanks to a small rebuild from Jack Haynes and Brett D'Oliveira, the Pears reached lunch on a precarious 82-3.

Afternoon: Some positive counter-attacking play from the fourth-wicket partnership carried the home side up to 147, but just as things were starting to look up, Haynes was bowled for 47 by a ball that kept low from Dan Ibrahim, and bad light curtailed the session.

Evening: Under leaden skies, a collapse ripped the heart out of the Worcs middle order, with Ed Barnard caught at second slip for 17, Ben Cox caught behind for a duck, and Dolly also edging behind for 38. Bad light intervened again on 180-7, and though a few further overs were squeezed in before close, only six more runs were added to the total. As suspected and feared, failure to mop up the Sussex tail looks to have hurt Worcestershire in this match, and it'll take a valiant effort to reduce the arrears of 78 runs and maintain a foothold in the game tomorrow.

[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

Day Three

Morning: After bringing up a much-needed batting point, Joe Leach fell LBW for 18, and no one could offer the kind of resistance that the Sussex tail had showed as Josh Baker was caught behind for 5 and Dillon Pennington caught and bowled for 6. Needing a positive start with the ball, Leach proceeded to strike with the second delivery of the innings, drawing an edge from Tom Haines that was caught high at first slip for a duck; the skipper then found himself on a hat-trick for the second time in the match when he dismissed new man Harrison Ward LBW for a golden duck. A few overs later Leach gained his third scalp as James Cole was adjuged LBW for 1, leaving Sussex 3-3. However, not for the first time this season, Worcestershire failed to keep that momentum going, and the visitors made it to lunch on 37-3.

Afternoon: A half-century from Ali Orr did further damage before Oli Carter was caught and bowled for 20 by Josh Baker. The spinner then repeated the feat to dismiss Orr for 57, but once again Sussex recovered, and reached tea on 149-5, leading by 200.

Evening: Only one further wicket in the day, with Fynn Hudson-Prentice stumped for 46 off the bowling of Baker before bad light once again brought an early end to proceedings. Sussex were 199-6 at stumps with a lead of 250; probably enough to win the match already, given Worcestershire's batting woes, but a flurry of wickets in the morning is the last remaining glimmer of hope for the Pears, short of batting out a draw.