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County Championship, Division One

vs Surrey

Day One

Morning: Worcestershire won a contested toss and elected to bat on a mildly overcast morning. Surrey bowled incredibly well, and when Daryl Mitchell was caught at third slip for 13 early on, it looked like a familiar story for the home side. However, in difficult conditions Tom Fell and Ollie Westbury shepherded the Pears through to lunch with nine wickets still in hand.

Afternoon: Sadly, there was a minor collapse after the interval that saw Westbury bowled, Joe Clarke come and go for a three-ball duck, and Fell finally depart for a gritty and well-made 69. When Alex Milton was caught behind for 7, Worcestershire were 165-5 and struggling. However, Ross Whiteley and Ed Barnard got the Pears through to tea without further loss.

Evening: The partnership flourished in the final session as the two set batsmen took an aggressive approach to the old ball, and though Whiteley departed to a leading edge at gully for 91 - his highest score at New Road in any format of cricket - Barnard remained 63 not out when bad light stopped play. Worcestershire were 288-6 at close, having had the better of the day, and will look to break 300 tomorrow and push for 350+; however, some good bowling will nevertheless be required to maintain the advantage over a Surrey side on an eight-game winning streak since they last played Worcs.