[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

Day Four

Morning: Dawn brought no declaration, as Derbyshire decided to give themselves ten overs of the final day to stretch their already scarcely-assailable lead. To that end, Harvey Hosein and Fynn Hudson-Prentice put a further 44 onto the overnight total of 268-5, falling just short of a 400 lead in the end as they elected to set Worcestershire the highly nominal target of 398 to win off eighty-four overs. The Pears openers negotiated a dozen overs of the new ball successfully, but when Matt Critchley came into the attack, a pitch which had already proved conducive to slow bowling brought instant chances; one drop at slip was swiftly followed by a ball that popped up off the bat of Daryl Mitchell, and he was caught for 12. Variable bounce then did for Jake Libby on the stroke of lunch, as he chopped a low ball from Hudson-Prentice onto the stumps for 21. The scoreboard showed 33-2 at the interval, with the runs column all but irrelevant as the Pears contemplated preserving their eight wickets through the next two sessions.

Afternoon: No one ever went bankrupt betting on Worcestershire to turn a straightforward task into an uphill struggle, and sure enough, Tom Fell began that needless climb with a pull straight to deep square leg for 13 off a Hudson-Prentice bouncer. On a mere 3, Brett D'Oliveira then fell into a simple fielding trap when he glanced a ball from Ben Aitchinson to the leg-gully just placed there for that purpose. The session wasn't even half over when Riki Wessels was dismissed LBW for 2 off an Aitchinson nip-backer, and four overs later the result seemed like a foregone conclusion when the same bowler sent down a full-length inswinger to pin Gareth Roderick leg-before for 22. At a dire 83-6, Ben Cox and Ed Barnard could have been forgiven for giving up the increasingly lost cause, but instead they adopted a positive approach towards Critchley and manipulated the field well as they slashed and swept their way to 118-6 at tea.

Evening: Still scoring at a steady clip, the seventh-wicket partnership reached fifty half an hour after resumption in the late afternoon sun, and around five o'clock Cox brought up his own 78-ball half-century with a sumptuous cover-drive off the bowling of Aitchinson. Having batted thirty overs together, and with just seventeen left in the day, it felt like the two middle-order lynchpins had saved the Pears; but after four successive maidens, Critchley dismissed Barnard LBW for 35, then trapped Alzarri Joseph for 4 in his very next over. Eight down, and with fourteen overs remaining, it was up to Joe Leach to join Coxy for a real captain's innings, digging in and ticking off the dot balls. Plenty of jangling nerves, and all the typical scenes of a tight finish in a first-class game: close fielders crowded round the bat, a boundary or two to ease the pressure, a cheer for every solid, chanceless maiden. In the fourth over from close, Sam Conners appealed for a catch behind off Leach, only to be denied by a good call from the umpire of pad rather than bat. Tick, tick, tick; dot, dot, dot. Umbrella field and tin hats on. A leave, a block, another maiden. Critchley on for the last six balls, with seven fielders around the bat. Ben Cox saw off the first four, smothering the spin expertly, and after a facing a hundred and forty-seven deliveries over three and a half hours for an unbeaten 60, the Great Wall of Wordsley dealt with the penultimate ball in the same fashion, bringing an end to proceedings with a forward defensive and a welcome fist-bump.

Match DRAWN

The Verdict: A great Championship game all round, with plenty on offer from both sides. For Worcestershire it was either a calamitous decision to insert Derbyshire after winning the toss, or else criminal sloppiness to put down so many chances in the game's very first session; either way, the outcome was four days of playing catch-up to a side that bettered them pound for pound and measure for measure until the resilience of Cox, Barnard and Leach forced the stalemate on Sunday, leaving the hosts to rue their late and unnecessarily cautious declaration. Questions again to be asked of the Pears top order, who've now obliged the middle and tail to take the strain of posting a decent score three times in a row. Likewise, the nagging fear that Worcestershire's seam-heavy attack is just too samey won't go away, though hopefully Alzarri Joseph will continue to prove an asset as he adapts to conditions. A decent result all in all, but the pressure is now on to go one better against Notts in the first fixture at New Road next week.

[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

Two matches and two draws to kick off the season, with one definitely more fortunate than the other. As cricket returns to New Road after the usual winter floods with the visit of Nottinghamshire on Thursday, the pressure's on to go one better. At the very least, with Notts having failed to win a first-class match since June 2018, no county wants to be the first to roll over for them, and as this is Joe Clarke's first red-ball return to the club that nurtured him, defeat would be doubly chastening. In truth, batting doesn't seem to be have been the problem for the East Midlanders; it's wickets that have been hard to come by, and despite adding South African Dane Paterson to their line-up, they'll be missing Jake Ball, Brett Hutton and Stuart Broad from their match squad. For Worcestershire there were signs of promise at Derby from Alzarri Joseph, who'll hopefully continue to improve as he shakes off his spell in quarantine and gets into the rhythm of the county game. Once again there'll be a straight choice to make between Dillon Pennington and Charlie Morris for the new-ball role; the former may have been a bit unlucky at times last weekend, but nevertheless, one wicket for the season so far isn't a great return, even in tricky circumstances. With warm weather in store for the weekend after a possible frosty start on day one, this match may well hinge on Worcestershire's ability to break the talented Notts top order, while also desperately requiring their own to step up to the mark.

Venue: New Road, Worcester

Last Notts Visit: April 2018, Nottinghamshire won by an innings and 41 runs

Highest Pears innings: 493-9 declared, June 1996

Highest individual Pears score: 227 not out - Graeme Ashley Hick, July 1986

Highest Pears partnership: 281, 4th wicket - Joseph Alan Ormrod & Mohammad Younis Ahmed, July 1979

[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

County Championship, Group One

vs Nottinghamshire

Day One

Morning: Pears won the toss and elected to bat on a clear, sunny Thursday morning with an April nip in the air. It was a good toss to win and an equally good decision to make, as the Worcestershire openers punished some early sloppiness from the Notts new-ball bowlers. With a clinical array of cover-drives, square cuts and leg-glances, the Pears brought up the fifty partnership within a dozen overs, forcing the visitors to bring on Luke Fletcher and some early spin in the form of left-armer Liam Patterson-White in an effort to put the brakes on. This succeeded for a while, though Jake Libby did prove willing and able to belt the spinner down the ground a couple of times for four and then six as he raced ahead on the scoreboard. The completion of his half-century, and Worcestershire's unbeaten progression into three figures, was symbolic of the session as a whole as he picked up an easy couple from a shot to deep cover before keeper Tom Moores received the ball and attempted a wild throw at the bowler's stumps which skipped away for four needless overthrows. Despite a chance going down at leg-gully in the last throes of the morning, lunch thus arrived with the hosts sitting pretty on 122-0.

Afternoon: Things continued in the same vein for a while after the break, with Daryl Mitchell bringing up his first fifty of the season when he glanced Zak Chappell off the hip down to fine leg for four, but the Worcs veteran paid the price for his positive attitude shortly afterward when he attempted to drive a rising delivery from Fletcher and edged behind for 59. That wicket proved the talisman for Notts. Tom Fell was LBW for 1 playing a full ball from Chappell across the line; Gareth Roderick then also went for 1, tempted by a Dane Paterson delivery that moved away from him and was edged behind. On 3, Brett D'Oliveira hesitated for a fatal second when called through for a quick single by Libby, and was run out by a direct hit, though amid the carnage the former Notts man managed to reach the personal milestone of another fine century when he picked up a Paterson short ball on the pull and deposited it in the stand for six. But the hosts suffered another blow on the stroke of tea when Patterson-White, who'd coaxed a little turn from the surface here and there since the morning, got a ball pitching on middle stump to beat the bat of Riki Wessels and clip the top of off, sending the other former Notts batsman packing for 13. From 140-0 to 210-5, things no longer looked so rosy, and they were to get worse yet.

Evening: Under the sinking sun, another tempting ball outside off from Fletcher accounted for Libby, whose swashbuckling innings ended caught behind for 117. After last Sunday's heroics, Ben Cox didn't even make it off the mark as he fell LBW for a duck attempting to paddle-sweep Patterson-White, and at 216-7 the county was at risk of a total and embarrassing collapse. It was down to the ever-reliable Ed Barnard and new man Alzarri Joseph to offer some resistance, and thankfully, resist they did. Though the latter couldn't resist a couple of big hits, thumping Fletcher over cow corner for six on one occasion, the pair played with great concentration and offered few chances as they guided the Pears to 305-7 at stumps. Having won the toss and batted, being above 300 with wickets in hand at day's end would have seemed an ideal outcome before a ball was bowled, though the spectre of having been on 140-0 remains. It's now vital that the pair at the crease stick around for a good spell tomorrow and push the score as far towards 350 or even 400 as they can. The pitch is offering a little, especially for a spinner, but players who get themselves in have been making hay, and scoreboard pressure could prove vital to Worcestershire's bowlers.

[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

Day Two

Morning: A Friday of real springtime warmth got off to a watchful start, with Ed Barnard and Alzarri Joseph rotating the strike carefully as they nudged the Worcestershire total up from the precarious overnight tally of 305-7 to something more substantial. A first half-century in Pear-green for Joseph wasn't too long in coming, but the Antiguan got a bit too enthusiastic on 61 and drove Zak Chappell to mid-on, leaving the hosts 330-8. With Joe Leach the new man, getting up above 350 was the immediate target, and with the help of Barnard completing his own fifty, the fourth batting point came up with three balls to spare; however, the latter then fell for 61 when he tried to cut Liam Patterson-White and nicked into the keeper's gloves. On 355-9, and with 400 seemingly an impossible hope, Leach set about farming the strike with some highly attritional play, turning down countless easy singles and grinding out a run an over with Charlie Morris trusted to face the occasional delivery. Occasionally the skipper opened up to punish a bad ball, thwacking one memorably unorthodox six over fine leg with a pirouetting periscope-style hook shot played high above his head, alongside a few more typical maximums and boundaries. The skipper's half-century came up shortly before Worcs reached an unlikely 400, and with lunch delayed, the home side made the visitors toil for an extra half an hour in the sun with the break finally coming at 409-9.

Afternoon: The innings went on and on, with Leach continuing to eschew most easy singles even though Morris looked highly capable at the crease, even scoring a boundary with one of the shots of the day. But on 84, having brought up his three thousandth first-class run and with a first century since 2013 undoubtedly on his mind, the captain finally edged to slip after attempting an attacking shot to a sharply-turning leg-break off Patterson-White, and Worcestershire were all out for 436; a total that had seemed impossible overnight. In reply, Notts made their way to 31-0 by tea, but the absence of Brett D'Oliveira from the field was a troubling omen that left the hosts without their foremost spinner.

Evening: A long and lazy final session excited little in the way of alarm for Notts on a flat track, though the Pears bowled a good line that kept the scoring firmly on a leash with boundaries at a premium on a slow outfield. Daryl Mitchell kicked up a fair bit of dust from the surface, but with Dolly still off the field there was no hope of testing the visitors with any leg-spin, and their progression to 99-0 at close was a tranquil one. Unless there's some serious deterioration in the pitch over the final two days, the pattern and trajectory of this match points to a high-scoring draw, and on Saturday the Pears desperately need to spin it to have any hope of winning it.

[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

Day Three

Morning: A warm and welcome Saturday brought a warm and welcome return to the field for Worcestershire's resident leg-spinner, and Brett D'Oliveira was the one to make the much-needed breakthrough after half an hour when he tempted Ben Slater into driving at a full ball outside off, and a catch was taken after a little juggling at first slip for 45. Amazingly, as happened in Worcestershire's own innings, that one wicket proved the catalyst for a collapse; with the last ball of his first over of the day, Alzarri Joseph got Ben Duckett to chase after a wide ball angled across his body, and the number three promptly sliced his drive straight to point for 5. It could have been three wickets soon after as Joe Clarke arrived at the crease determined to prove some kind of point to the county he left, and was dropped at long-on during an aggressive scoring spell; however, his number came up when Charlie Morris entered the attack and got a ball to nip back through the gate and clip the top of Clarke's off-stump for 27 in the first of a trio of scalps. His next wicket was that of Lyndon James, LBW for 4 to a full ball that swung, and he put the icing on a fantastic session by bowling Steven Mullaney for 2 with another nip-backer that the Notts skipper unwisely left. From 115-0 to 192-5 at lunch, the morning and momentum both belonged to the Pears.

Afternoon: Nottinghamshire rebuilt doggedly and carefully, and from a non-partisan perspective it was heartening to see Haseeb Hameed complete just his second first-class century since his England debut way back in 2016. But with the partnership between Hameed and Moores threatening to become a thorn in Worcestershire's side, Brett D'Oliveira came into the attack for the most astonishing over of the day: Moores, on 38, heaved the first ball - a rank long-hop - for six, came down the pitch to loft the second over cover for four, slog-swept the third over square leg for six to bring up his half-century, sent the fourth to the boundary with a reverse-sweep and the fifth also to the rope with a more conventional drive, before getting his comeuppance on the final ball when he attempted another slog-sweep and skyed the ball to long-on; from 38 to 62 and out in a matter of minutes. Yet again, that one wicket opened the door. In the very next over, Liam Patterson-White was LBW for a duck playing across the line to Joe Leach, who also accounted for Hameed when the opener shaped to cut and nicked into the keeper's gloves for 111. Still 21 short of avoiding the follow-on with only two wickets remaining, after adding ten more Zak Chappell fatally hesitated when called through for a quick single, and some sharp thinking from Riki Wessels saw him run from short leg to the stumps to receive the throw from Mitch at mid-wicket and whip off the bails. With the very next delivery, Alzarri Joseph wrapped things up with a scorching yorker at the stumps that Dane Paterson simply couldn't handle, and tea was taken with Notts 276 all out, and Worcestershire leading by a solid 160 runs.

Evening: In an admirable show of positivity, Joe Leach chose to enforce the follow-on after the break, but somehow the match had come full circle in the space of a day; after dominating the visitors with the ball for hours, the evening was destined to be another long, wicketless session as on Friday. Haseeb and Slater reached stumps unbeaten on 87-0, and realistically, Worcs will have to replicate Saturday's heroics on the final day to dismiss Notts within a couple of sessions and have a chaseable target. A draw remains the most likely result.

[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

Day Four

Morning, Afternoon & Evening: The last Sunday of April was a lovely one, but there were no early wickets; and, indeed, no wickets at all. Slater and Hameed each made centuries as they batted out the day - the latter setting a new record for the highest number of deliveries faced in a Championship match - as the Pears rotated bowlers on a pitch offering nothing whatsoever. At 236-0 the inevitable draw was agreed upon, with the Pears taking fifteen points.

Match DRAWN

The Verdict: Three matches, three draws. Where the first was even stevens and the second a lucky escape, I think it's fair to say that before the pitch died completely, Worcestershire had the better of the first three days on balance in this encounter. The result lifts the Pears up to second in Group One with the highest number of batting points, though it remains a tight contest all round. When an uncharacteristically wobbly Essex visit on Thursday, the county will hope to go one better than they did at Chelmsford.

[themaclad]

Hameed got poor treatment at Lancs great to see him getting back to his best

[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

Yeah, there aren't many players who I'd be chuffed to see rock up at New Road and score a pair of centuries (especially after just one in the previous four years), but Hameed is a huge exception. At 24 he's still got plenty of time ahead to make his mark, and if he can kick on from here then at the very least he'll be ready and waiting if Burns, Crawley or Sibley dry up at Test level.

[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

The unstoppable draw machine that is Worcestershire County Cricket Club welcomes Essex to New Road on Thursday for what promises to be an enticing return encounter following the high-scoring season opener in Chelmsford that kicked off the month. With a gargantuan question mark hovering over the drought-stricken numbers three, four and five in the Pears batting order, Jack Haynes has a very strong chance of making his first senior appearance of the season, having done very little wrong last year and scoring an imperious 165 for the second XI last weekend. The question is who will make way: Tom Fell will probably be saved by his 69 against Derbyshire, and Brett D'Oliveira is too valuable as a spinner to be dropped, so new arrival Gareth Roderick seems the most likely candidate. Though on paper this match looks like another good one to draw, Essex have looked incredibly wobbly these last couple of weeks, and with a bit of self-belief there may just be an opportunity for the Pears to go one better.

Venue: New Road, Worcester

Last Essex Visit: May 2018, Essex won by 32 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 typical late-April Thursday of patchy sunshine and cloud. After a couple of early boundaries, Worcestershire bowled tightly and with great discipline on a slow pitch, but chances were few and far between, and difficult when they came. Nick Browne had a couple of early let-offs - one low, one high - that flew sharply to second slip and weren't held, and from there the Essex openers dug in, with Sir Alastair Cook offering only one half-chance from an Ed Barnard delivery that looped up and fell just short of a diving mid-on. For the fifth consecutive session the Pears went wicketless, and trudged off for lunch at 64-0.

Afternoon: Having had a couple of decent LBW shouts turned down already, the much-needed breakthrough came just after two o'clock with a full, curving fast ball from Alzarri Joseph dismissing Browne LBW for 26. However, it wasn't to be followed up with any further scalps as the visitors progressed comfortably to 150-1 at tea.

Evening: Cook brought up his century with few concerns, but on 115 Joseph produced another wickedly curving lightning-fast delivery that deceived the England legend as he shaped to cut, instead bottom-edging onto the stumps. But again, it was to be the solitary success in a long, barren session as Essex closed on 266-2; the match currently following the same pattern as the first fixture at Chelmsford, but with the champions in a better position. If the pitch holds good for batting, another draw is on the cards already; if not, it's difficult to see how the Pears will claw a foothold in this one.