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Day Three

Morning: The equinox might be gone, but the sun remained on Thursday to see the season out. Sadly, there was no half-century to cap a good season with the bat from Ed Barnard, who edged behind for 48 in the opening overs of the day. Ben Cox departed in the same fashion for 59, and though Joe Leach showed his usual boundary-blasting enthusiasm as he lifted the Pears up to 400, he holed out to mid-on for 12 before he could add any more to the score. There was no need for a declaration in the end, as last man Josh Baker top-edged to cover for 3, and with those quickfire 44 runs piled onto the overnight total, the Pears were all out for 422 with a satisfyingly round lead of 200. Leicestershire then dealt with the new ball about as convincingly and successfully as they did the first time, losing Rishi Patel bowled for a duck, Hasan Azad caught behind for 4 and Lewis Hill snaffled at first slip for 2 - all casualties of a fired-up Joe Leach - before Charlie Morris got some sharp bounce from a straight ball as Louis Kimber showed him the maker's name, clipping the shoulder of the bat and being gobbled up by third slip for 4 with the last delivery of the session. 35-4 was the damage at lunch, and it seemed the day might be a short one.

Afternoon: In one of those odd sentimental quirks of the game, the ensuing Leicestershire recovery was well-received among a home crowd who still wanted to see a fantastic club servant given the send-off he deserved. The fifth-wicket partnership added a useful 88 before Ben Mike fell LBW for 58 to a pacey ball nipping in from Ed Barnard, and the all-rounder then doubled up as he got Sam Bates feathering to first slip for 6. On his old stomping ground, George Rhodes completed an assured half-century and then moved to his first-class career-best, but for the second session in a row Worcestershire struck in the closing over, with Josh Baker sending down an arm-ball that bowled Ed Barnes through the gate for 5, reducing the visitors to 146-7 at tea, still trailing by 54.

Evening: And still the crowd willed the Foxes on towards parity and a second Worcestershire innings, counting off the runs as Rhodes and Callum Parkinson formed a stubborn partnership for the next ninety minutes. They were eight runs away from levelling the scores when a full ball from Dillon Pennington drew Parkinson into a drive that was edged to second slip for 21, opening the door for some late drama. George Rhodes took Leics into the lead, giving the crowd what they wanted, but then cruelly perished ten short of his maiden century when he edged behind for 90 off Pennington; then, with the prospect of an all-but-redundant fourth day looming over New Road, Worcs made the last over count for the third time in the day as the big lad had Abidine Sakande caught at third slip for 4.

Leicestershire were all out for 211; the Pears needed 12 to win with the extra half-hour taken, and so with sunlight dappling the cathedral and long pikestaff shadows stretching over the turf, Daryl Mitchell - serenaded with cheers and applause from every corner of the ground - walked out to the middle one final time. There were more than a few gasps as he flung the bat at the first ball up, narrowly missing an outswinger from Chris Wright; then a collective sigh of relief that registered on the Beaufort scale as he edged with soft hands along the ground through third man for four, avoiding the dreaded duck. After slashing somewhat unnecessarily at a short ball, another boundary through third man followed, this one a classic and controlled late cut. With eight runs knocked off, Jake Libby briefly showed willing to give his partner the chance of hitting the winning runs for the ultimate fairytale finish, limiting himself to a couple of singles where more aggressive strokes would normally have been the order of the day. But with two more required for the victory, Mitch was happy to make the run that tied the scores his last contribution to a proud and distinguished career; an appropriately selfless touch to close the curtain on the season as Libby wrapped up the win and the first burst of a standing ovation spilled from the pavilion.

Worcestershire WIN by ten wickets

The Verdict: An emotional day and a happy finish to a season that was too often sub-standard. Plenty of questions remain to be asked, and plenty of changes need to be made through the winter, but with the Pears climbing to third in the Third Division, this was at least a high note of consolation that gave Daryl Mitchell - after 224 first-class matches, 13,903 runs, 39 centuries, 300 catches and 33 wickets - the send-off he richly deserved.