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Day Two

Morning: A much cloudier and gustier Friday, and some early signs of steepling bounce from the pitch provided encouragement that this might prove a result wicket. Certainly Ben Cox was quick to fall foul of it, edging behind for 29 and bringing Joe Leach out to the middle for his standard run-a-ball cameo. After securing the fourth batting point and showing some interest in securing a fifth, the big man eventually perished swinging wildly at a short, wide ball that was top-edged to mid-off for 26. New man Josh Baker looked more assured, and played his role in a comfortable eighth-wicket partnership of 85, but ultimately drove a ball straight to cover for 43 to bring the morning to a close with the hosts 460-8. 122 runs for 3 wickets in the session, and Dolly still going strong on 149; another very handy spell of play for the Pears.

Afternoon: The first ball after the resumption gave Dolly his 150, and he soon broke out his armoury of reverse sweeps and scoops in the name of shifting the game along. If the tail had stuck around it could have gone on for hours more, but with Charlie Morris caught behind for 4 and Dillon Pennington mistiming a pull and top-edging to mid-on for 3, there was no chance of further fireworks. Not out on 169, the skipper returned to the pavilion with a healthy total of 491 on the board, and had every cause to celebrate when the Sussex reply began with Leach bowling Ali Orr through the gate for a golden duck off the very first ball. That explosive start may have raised hopes of a quick demolition job, but as Cheteshwar Pujara came in to anchor the innings, there was only one further casualty in the session; on 26 the prize scalp of Tom Haines went to Morris as reward for bowling a nagging, disciplined line and length, clattering the stumps after a push forward. Sussex reached tea on 64-2, perhaps grateful that the damage wasn't worse.

Evening: The sun emerged in a blue sky, and though they enjoyed a slice of fortune here and there, for a long time after the interval it looked as if Sussex were batting on a pitch suddenly devoid of all malice. A century partnership seemed to signpost the long, weary road to a draw; the action had grown quite soporofic when, after an over or two of uncomfortable shots, Tom Clark finally nicked Leach to second slip for 44, flinging the door wide open. It became two wickets in two balls when Mohammad Rizwan edged behind for a golden duck, and though the hat-trick went begging, Leach bagged his third of the session and fourth of the innings as he bowled nightwatchman Jamie Atkins for a duck. Shutting up shop for the day, Pujara and new man Delray Rawlins reached stumps without further incident, but having slipped from 155-2 to 169-5 in the closing stages, Sussex have granted Worcestershire a precious foothold and kept alive the hope of Dolly recording his first win as captain.

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Day Three

Morning: St George's Day dawned to the whistling of more springtime winds, and Sussex resumed on 169-5 with little early trouble as Cheteshwar Pujara completed a fine battling century. It was Dillon Pennington who made the difference when the partnership was beginning to frustrate, spearing in a straight full-length delivery that sent Delray Rawlin's middle stump cartwheeling for 10; then, in his next over, getting the ball to seam away from Pujara's forward defensive and picking up the Indian's prize wicket with an edge to first slip. After a further nine overs of Sussex resistance, Ed Barnard got in on the action, coaxing an edge from Grant Stewart that flew into the hands of first slip for 18, and then number three Tom Alsop - batting down the order due to an injured thumb on Friday - contrived to get himself run out for the second time in two weekends, taking a risky single to wide mid-on that was cut short by a direct hit from Pennington, and departed for 28. The seasiders were polished off with the second new ball on the stroke of lunch when Charlie Morris pinned George Burrows LBW for 0, and as their tally of 269 left Sussex trailing by 222, Dolly wisely opted to enforce the follow-on during the break.

Afternoon: After weathering four overs of their second innings, Sussex were once again undone by Joe Leach, who got a full ball to nip away from Tom Haines as he attempted a straight drive, the opener duly edging behind for 10; the very next delivery was a near-identical ball and identical outcome, with Tom Alsop the man to fall for a duck. For the second time in the match, the former Pears skipper found himself on the verge of a hat-trick that was safely negotiated this time by the incoming Pujara; however, deja vu then struck for the Indian when Pennington took his wicket for the second time in as many hours, clattering his off stump for a meagre 12. Josh Baker claimed his first of the match when Tom Clark attempted a slog-sweep and bottom-edged through to the keeper for 8, while Barnard dismissed Mohammad Rizwan LBW for 4, then exercised his throwing arm shortly before tea as Delray Rawlins came haring down the pitch for a suicidal single only to find himself sent back by Ali Orr and run out by a mile for a miserable 19. Six wickets in the session, Sussex 93-6 with the tail exposed, and suddenly the prospect of a three-day win loomed large for the hosts.

Evening: Full credit to Ali Orr; having copped a first-baller in the first innings, the Sussex opener offered the most resistance of his entire team in the second. But his 138-ball watch ended when Baker surprised him with a bit of extra bounce, and he was caught at short leg for a dogged 33. The young spinner soon proved a tempting target for tail-enders eager to unleash their inner Botham, and Henry Crocombe holed out to long-off in that very fashion for 8, leaving Sussex 129-8 as the light faded on a cloudy and cool Saturday evening. The ninth-wicket partnership was far more stubborn, however, with Grant Stewart especially happy to showcase his batting skills en route to a half-century that somewhat wrecked the proud figures of Baker. As the gloom gathered and the prospect of a fourth day loomed, Brett D'Oliveira brought himself into the attack and promptly had Jamie Atkins caught at mid-on for 17, before sending down a full-toss that struck George Burrows on the foot and persuaded a hesitant umpire to raise the finger that put Sussex out of their misery.

Worcestershire WIN by an innings and thirty-four runs

The Verdict: An unequivocally well-deserved win after three days of excellent cricket from the Pears. Sussex's ongoing woes undoubtedly played a part, but it's refreshing to see just how well Worcestershire can bat when the pressure isn't entirely on Jake Libby's shoulders, and how deftly a regular, reliable spinner like Josh Baker can polish off the opposition's tail. The real test will come next week with a visit to Trent Bridge, but this has been a solid start to the 2022 campaign.

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Leading Run-Scorers

1. Brett D'Oliveira - 294 (N/A)
2. Ed Pollock - 194 (64.66)
3. Ed Barnard - 132 (44.00)
4. Jake Libby - 113 (37.66)
5. Joe Leach - 96 (48.00)


Leading Wicket-Takers

1. Joe Leach - 10 (16.90)
2. Josh Baker - 8 (25.87)
3. Dillon Pennington - 7 (19.00)
4. Charlie Morris - 5 (28.40)
5. Ed Barnard - 4 (43.25)

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The crucial first win of the season in the bag after two strong performances, Worcestershire now face the stern test of a visit to Trent Bridge to face promotion-hunting Nottinghamshire. Though their 2021 campaign went a long way towards exorcising the demons of nearly three years without a first-class victory, the East Midlanders aren't invincible, as Glamorgan demonstrated with a seven-wicket win in the Robin Hood county a fortnight ago. But Notts remain a formidable package despite that blemish, balancing bat and ball with a top four never far from England contention in Ben Slater, Haseeb Hameed, Ben Duckett and Joe Clarke, and an attack which has propelled 23-year-old slow left-armer Liam Patterson-White to the top of the Championship wicket chart, with 18 scalps so far at an average of 15.11, including two five-fers. The prospective inclusion of a Stuart Broad miffed at his recent England snub is almost overkill for the home side.

Worcestershire aren't devoid of threats by any means, with skipper Brett D'Oliveira closing in on 300 runs and still yet to lose his wicket this year, while Ed Pollock is providing a potent attacking threat at the top and Jake Libby has yet to hit top gear. On the seam-friendly Trent Bridge wicket it'll be vital for the Pears pacers to hit the mark right from the off, but hopefully an in-form Worcs can dig deep for a positive result in this crucial encounter.

Probable Worcestershire XI: Libby, Pollock, Azhar, Haynes, D'Oliveira, Barnard, Cox, Baker, Leach, Pennington, Morris

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County Championship, Division Two

vs Nottinghamshire

Day One

Morning: Notts won the toss and put the Pears in to bat on a slate-grey Thursday morning with little in the way of warmth around. On a pitch greener than Greta Thunberg's pet iguana, the Worcestershire openers took a calculated decision to take the fight to the formidable bowling attack of the hosts, and for the first few overs it worked. Stuart Broad in particular was on the receiving end of some dismissive shots, but had the last laugh when he seamed the ball away from Jake Libby, who was drawn into a defensive push and caught behind for 15. The problems truly began with the first bowling change, which brought Dane Paterson into the attack; off his very first delivery, Ed Pollock - who'd led the charge against the openers with several boundaries and a contemptuous leg-side flick for six - nicked to third slip for 31, and none of the subsequent men in really settled at the crease after that. Azhar Ali edged behind for 6, Brett D'Oliveira was dismissed for the first time this season in the same fashion for 10, despite a valiant ten-over rebuild, and with nine balls to go until lunch, Ed Barnard attempted a late leave only to get an inside-edge onto the stumps for 8; all victims of Paterson. The interval came with the Pears 114-5 and floundering.

Afternoon: The Paterson onslaught not only continued, but intensified upon the restart. Ben Cox was LBW for 2 without adding to the score, Jack Haynes edged behind for 37 when a ball seamed away from him; Josh Baker was caught for 12 with a leading edge to mid-on, and Paterson claimed his career-best eighth wicket in a row by bowling Charlie Morris for 2. After a brief last-wicket stand, Luke Fletcher had Dillon Pennington caught behind for 18, and the Pears were all out for 159 before three o'clock. Worse still, the new-ball bowling from Worcestershire wasn't of the same standard that the hosts had set, and it took above seventeen overs before a run-out finally broke the Notts opening partnership. A swish of the bat from Haseeb Hameed at a widish Adam Finch delivery then saw the opener caught behind for 53, and Nottinghamshire went in for tea on a highly ominous 98-2.

Evening: It was a half-century and out for Ben Duckett, caught behind for 50 off Pennington, and the hosts had just moved into a first-innings lead with seven wickets still in hand when the perseverance of the Worcs bowlers finally paid off under the floodlights. The always-popular wicket of Joe Clarke went to Barnard for 18, as everyone's favourite turncoat nicked one through for a diving catch behind; Morris, who'd been alone in excelling himself with the new ball, finally got a deserved scalp when Mullaney edged to second slip for 7, and Lyndon James fell for 19 in exactly the same fashion the following over courtesy of Barnard. A direct hit from cover-point sent Liam Patterson-White packing for a duck to make it a five-wicket session, before Notts brought up their first batting point with a dogged rebuild. 203-7 at stumps with a lead of 44, Nottinghamshire already have a strong grip on the game despite the late Worcs fightback; the Pears really can't afford for that lead to reach three figures, and a strong first session on Friday is a must.

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Day Two

Morning: The clouds still blanketed Trent Bridge early on Friday, and although Charlie Morris claimed the vital wicket of Tom Moores caught at cover for 19 with the fourth ball of the day, two boundaries in the same over hinted that mopping up the tail would prove an expensive job. And so it was, as Stuart Broad was given license to swing, and the Pears resorted to banging in short balls in an increasingly desperate effort to force an error from the England legend. Though it might be the tried and tested way of dismissing Broady in a Test innings, at county level he was relatively untroubled by the barrage, hitting a brisk 45 before partner Luke Fletcher was caught for 18 at mid-off from an Adam Finch delivery, and the incoming Dane Paterson perished for 2 in exactly the same fashion four balls later. All out for 266, Nottinghamshire had succeeded in pushing the first-innings lead into three figures - the one thing the Pears had wanted to avoid - and things promptly went from bad to worse as Ed Pollock was bowled for a duck by Fletcher off the second ball of the innings, Jake Libby was caught for 3 driving to backward point, Azhar Ali went for 5 in the same way, and Brett D'Oliveira mistimed a shot to midwicket for 5 off Paterson. At 32-4 it looked like a humiliation in the making, and only the resilience of Jack Haynes provided a ray of hope that an innings defeat might be avoided as lunch was taken on 37-4.

Afternoon: The sun came out for the first time all match, but it was necessarily a long, cautious game of crease occupation for the two Pears batsmen as they whittled down the deficit. All it took was one careless, over-confident moment - deciding to hook Stuart Broad on the verge of a half-century - and Haynes was pavilion-bound once more, caught at backward square leg for 49, leaving Worcestershire 99-5 and still in arrears with only one recognised batting partnership remaining. There could be no more errors, and thankfully, with the pitch playing a lot easier, Ed Barnard and Ben Cox guided the visitors into a slender lead and the safety of the tea interval.

Evening: Like spring giving way to a sudden, unexpected summer, the clouds yielded for an evening of warm April sunshine just as Worcestershire rediscovered how to bat when chasing a game. Having brought up an assured half-century, Barnard was seldom troubled against the international-standard Notts bowling attack, even forcing Stuart Broad into one of his trademark wicket-starved huffs as he nudged and stroked his way to a third first-class ton in the dying overs. For his part, Cox reined in his natural attacking instincts and completed a well-deserved fifty before Worcs closed on 225-5 with a lead of 118.

As things stand, the pendulum is still firmly in the home side's favour, but the Pears fightback has restored some dignity to the overall performance at the very least. With the second new ball now four overs old, surviving the first hour of Saturday would potentially put Worcs in a position to set a competitive target on a pitch showing some signs of variable bounce. For all their vaunted might, the hosts haven't got this one in the bag just yet.

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Day Three

Morning: The final day of April was another fine one, and Ed Barnard resumed against the second new ball with plenty of confidence; however, a bit of extra bounce from Stuart Broad accounted for Ben Cox, edging behind for 55. His successor Josh Baker, more than capable of hitting a ball, perished LBW for 1 to Luke Fletcher in the very next over - a double whammy that severely hurt Worcestershire's chances of putting a score on the board. Nevertheless, Adam Finch was able to stick around, supporting Barnard en route to the latter's career-best score - surpassing his 128 against Essex at Chelmsford last April - and the all-rounder completed a fifty partnership by slog-sweeping Liam Patterson-White for six. Shortly before the lead hit 200, Barnard reached his maiden 150, and if the Pears had reached the interval unscathed it would have been their session without doubt. But in the penultimate over, Finch was caught behind for 33 off Broad, and with the lead standing at 215 and only two wickets remaining, the teams went in for lunch.

Afternoon: To slog or not to slog is always the question when eight down, and though it showed great cricketing maturity for Barnard to place his trust in Charlie Morris to defend his wicket and accrue runs without farming the strike, it backfired as a Fletcher delivery that kept low removed the number ten's off-stump for 3. The lead stood at 225, and still there was no great effort to deal in fours or sixes; some inconsistent strike-farming brought Dillon Pennington on strike for the second ball of a Dane Paterson over, and the South African promptly completed his ten-wicket match haul, with Notts needing 233 to win and Barnard recording an unbeaten 449-minute 163. The chase started in perfect fashion for the Pears as Morris had Ben Slater caught at first slip for 2 off the fourth ball of the innings, but that was as good as things got with the new ball. Notts had motored on to 85 before Barnard - utterly unable to put a foot wrong - bowled Haseeb Hameed for 24. The scoreboard stood on 108-2 at tea, with the hosts needing 125 more and the visitors an unlikely eight wickets.

Evening: Missing Pennington due to injury, a depleted Worcestershire attack nevertheless took it as far as they could, as Morris had Ben Duckett caught behind for 78 off an inside edge and Josh Baker tempted Lyndon James into a reverse sweep that simply flew to first slip for 23. In the very next over Adam Finch had Steven Mullaney caught in the deep for 10, and there was a brief scent of a collapse in the air, but alas not quite enough in the pitch or on the scoreboard to make it happen as Notts made it home without further loss.

Worcestershire LOSE by five wickets

The Verdict: One of those matches where the scorecard will never tell the full story. Against undoubtedly the fiercest attack in Division Two, and arguably the County Championship as a whole, Worcestershire were always going to be up against the odds. Losing Joe Leach to illness and losing the toss under grim, gun-grey skies turned it into mission impossible. But after finding themselves in all kinds of trouble, two separate fightbacks from the Pears forced Notts to dig deep for their win, and you can only wonder how much closer it might have been had Leach been fit and Dillon Pennington not missed out on the second innings. "Plenty of positives to take" is often a platitude in sport, but in this instance it's true; Worcestershire showed bags of character this weekend, and hopefully it'll translate into wins further down the line.

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Leading Run-Scorers

1. Brett D'Oliveira - 309 (154.50)
2. Ed Barnard - 303 (75.75)
3. Ed Pollock - 225 (45.00)
4. Jake Libby - 131 (26.20)
5. Jack Haynes - 124 (24.80)


Leading Wicket-Takers

1. Joe Leach - 10 (16.90)
2. Charlie Morris - 9 (27.55)
3. Josh Baker - 9 (33.55)
4. Dillon Pennington - 8 (25.00)
5. Ed Barnard - 7 (39.28)

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Three matches in the campaign have yielded three different results, all promising in their own way. A draw that should have been a win, a win that was wholly deserved, and a battling defeat that could have gone the other way with a little more luck: it bodes modestly well provided the Pears can keep the performances coming with bat and ball. Durham, on the other hand - fancying themselves for promotion after a strong showing in 2021 - have got off to a winless start with three draws and a defeat, and will need to get the ball rolling soon if they're to achieve the long-awaited return to the top flight.

Runs clearly aren't a problem for the Championship's most northerly side; Sean Dickson leads the way with 520, long-term England prospect David Bedingham is hot on his heels with 301, and South African international Keegan Petersen - named the player of the series when the Proteas bested India in January - is a new addition at number three behind England new boy Alex Lees. And of course, the ginger elephant in the room is new England skipper Ben Stokes, still waiting for his first Championship appearance since 2018 having opted out of this year's IPL, with his run-tally since Durham's 2016 relegation totalling just 12. If Stokes makes his county comeback at New Road this weekend then it would prove a welcome boost, as wicket-taking was a stumbing block for Durham in April: Matthew Potts, with 18 scalps at 22.33, has been largely carrying an attack deprived of the injured Brydon Carse, while Ben Raine and Chris Rushworth haven't had the impact with the new ball that would be expected. 23-year-old slow left-armer Liam Trevaskis, having taken 16 career wickets prior to 2022, is also making an impression with 7 so far this campaign.

After the slightly concerning batting display at Trent Bridge, albeit in savage conditions against a formidable attack, Worcestershire will want a swift improvement from the top order. Jake Libby hasn't quite been his carefree self through April, and although Ed Pollock has picked up a good deal of the slack, the former Warks man's aggressive style naturally tempts fate and demands a steady hand at the other end. At number three, though Azhar Ali came with limited expectations given his previous Championship average of 28, it's been an undistinguished cameo so far, and the Pakistani could do with getting a few dozen runs under his belt. With the weather touch-and-go but mostly fair in the next four days, we should expect a result in this crucial encounter.

Probable Worcestershire XI: Libby, Pollock, Azhar, Haynes, D'Oliveira, Barnard, Cox, Leach, Baker, Morris, Pennington

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County Championship, Division Two

vs Durham

Day One

Morning: Durham won the toss and elected to bat on a warm and sunny May morning that promised big runs nationwide. It soon proved a terrible toss to lose, with the new ball claiming no casualties at all, and the hosts remaining without a breakthrough until ten past noon when Ed Barnard angled a ball across Alex Lees that the opener played onto the stumps for 27. Nevertheless, it was the only wicket to fall in a session that Durham dominated, going in for lunch 100-1.

Afternoon: And so it continued. There was at least a deserved reward for left-armer Ben Gibbon on his Championship (and professional) debut when he had Keegan Petersen caught behind for 50, a fine maiden first-class wicket. But again, it was a long, thankless slog of a session otherwise, and the visitors completed it on 208-2.

Evening: Sean Dickson continued his excellent season with another century, but then provided Ed Barnard with the only wicket of the evening as he edged a ball with extra bounce on an off-stump line to first slip for 104. Yet even the second new ball was to no avail for the Pears as Durham closed on 339-3, with Ben Stokes still to come. You can only spend so long lamenting a lost toss, but barring a miracle in the morning, it looks like that one 50/50 call has doomed Worcs to a weekend of batting to save a game that's already beyond them. In the absence of bowler-friendly conditions early on Friday, we have to hope that the weather will hold and the pitch will prove as flat as it currently appears when the time comes for Worcestershire to reply.