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It feels like it was only six weeks ago that Worcestershire found themselves labouring in the dying light of a Sunday evening to take a final Leicestershire wicket at Grace Road that simply wouldn't come... largely because it was, in fact, only six weeks ago. The return fixture has come quickly, and with it an opportunity to get over that line that proved so elusive at the season's start.

The Foxes remain winless after six matches, but not devoid of fight by any means; their three draws include another great escape at Grace Road last weekend, this time against Sussex. Worcestershire's great nemesis Hasan Azad has been the pick of the Leics batsmen with 469 runs so far, though his only century of the season came in the unbeaten knock on that fateful Sunday before Easter. Ben Mike leads the way with the ball, his 14 wickets placing him just ahead of Ed Barnes and Callum Parkinson.

There's clearly no use in pretending that the bowling situation at New Road is tenable as things stand, and with that in mind, Worcestershire have secured a temporary replacement for the injured Joe Leach in the form of 26-year-old Yorkshire all-rounder Matthew Waite, who arrives on a two-week loan. It may be that his parent county see this as last-chance saloon for his red-ball career; named Yorkshire's young player of the year in 2016, Waite has made only eight first-class appearances since his debut the following summer, and the most recent was over three years ago. With Dillon Pennington also set to make a return after playing T20 for the seconds against Glamorgan on Tuesday, it'll hopefully be a strong enough seam attack to secure a second win of the season before the T20 Blast commences.

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

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County Championship, Division Two

vs Leicestershire

Day One

Morning: Leicestershire won the toss and elected to bat with early cloud forecast to give way to a sunny Thursday, and for over an hour it seemed that Callum Parkinson might have made a sound call in his first outing as captain. The only victim of the new ball was Hasan Azad, who departed LBW for 1 when Dillon Pennington struck him plumb on the front pad, and as the sun peeked out just after noon, it found the visitors cruising along on 48-1. And yet that was as good as it ever got for the Foxes. When a delivery from Charlie Morris stuck in the pitch, it drew a mistimed glance from Rishi Patel who was promptly caught at short midwicket for 24. The following over, the dangerous Colin Ackermann edged Ed Barnard to first slip for 1, and when Morris dismissed Lewis Hill LBW for 23 with a full inswinger the collapse was on. Barnard drew an edge from Wiaan Mulder that was snaffled brilliantly low down at third slip for a duck, and Pennington completed the midday carnage with a bouncer to debutant Rehan Ahmed, whose pull was top-edged to first slip for a duck. 62-6 at lunch, the session was Worcestershire's all the way, and Parkinson's decision to bat a burgeoning catastrophe.

Afternoon: A counter-attacking rebuild from Harry Swindells and Ben Mike after the interval came to a timely end when Matthew Waite coaxed a bit of extra bounce off a length and Swindells' attempted back-foot defensive looped up for a running catch on the off-side for 23, giving the Yorkshire loanee his first Pears wicket. And one quickly became two in his next over as Ben Mike played all around a ball on off-stump and was bowled through the gate for 16. Josh Baker got in on the fun when Ed Barnes chopped onto the stumps for 1, and with the Foxes 98-9 there was a tantalising possibility of dismissing the visitors for less than three figures. But the last-wicket stand of Callum Parkinson and Chris Wright held up proceedings with what became the largest partnership of the innings, lifting Leicestershire to a better tally than they'd have dared hope for half an hour earlier, before Barnard took the edge of Parkinson's bat and had him caught at first slip for 22. With Leicestershire 148 all out, an early and highly satisfying tea was taken around half past three.

Evening: Worcestershire commenced their reply in warm sunshine on a fine May afternoon, with early boundaries setting the tone. Ed Pollock was the dynamo in an opening stand of 48, which ended when a ball from Wiaan Mulder nipped back to strike Jake Libby on the pads, sending him back to the pavilion LBW for 17. Mulder made it a brace in his next over when he tempted Pollock into a trademark leg-side wallop that fell for 32 into the hands of the man placed in the deep for that purpose, but Worcestershire's increasingly impressive third-wicket pair of Azhar Ali and Jack Haynes were as assured as ever at the crease, and Azhar brought up his half-century before the close after a sumptuous selection of cuts and drives. The Pears ended the day on 159-2, already leading by 11 and with license to punish the Foxes on Friday.

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Day Two

Morning: No play possible due to rain.

Afternoon: After an early lunch to whet the appetite for some cricket, the match resumed shortly after one o'clock, and Jack Haynes signalled his positive intent almost immediately by pulling Chris Wright for six as he completed his half-century. There were no chances on offer for the visitors, and after a steady afternoon's accumulation, Azhar Ali finally crossed the line for his first century in pear-green with a single to fine leg. Haynes then reached the same landmark off Rehan Ahmed some twenty minutes later; his third century in as many games making him the first Worcs batsman to achieve that hat-trick since Daryl Mitchell did so against Derbyshire, Northants and Sussex in May/June 2017. With a simple, punchy technique and an ability to pick up length quickly, the hometown boy has already equalled his father's total career tons, and alongside Azhar he guided the Pears to tea on 307-2 with a commanding lead of 159.

Evening: Records tumbled on a cloudy Friday night as Azhar and Haynes set first a new record third-wicket partnership against Leicestershire, and then a record stand for any wicket against the Foxes, effortlessly outstripping the 278 from openers Cyril Walters and Harold "Doc" Gibbons in late August 1934. Alas, all good things must come to an end, and a five-hour watch for Haynes ended when Wiaan Mulder struck him on the back leg and dismissed him LBW for 127. But maximum batting points came for the first time this summer along with a 150 for Azhar, before a short rain delay at quarter to six. The resumption saw Brett D'Oliveira complete an assured fifty, and Azhar go on the attack by dancing down the pitch and clobbering Callum Parkinson over long-on for a mammoth six; in the day's last over, with long shadows stretching over the outfield, the Pakistani then middled a sublime cover-drive off a half-volley from Ahmed to conclude a perfect day in the perfect way, completing his double-century and offering high fives to the young kids in raptures by the pavilion. Closing on 456-3 with a lead of 308, the only question now is how long the Pears spend piling on the misery on Saturday, and what length of time - on a pitch that may have grown benign - will be needed to bowl the Foxes out again.

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Day Three

Morning: Cooler and cloudier at New Road on Saturday, but there was no turning down the heat on the Foxes. Twenty overs was the allotted time in which to go wild, and the Pears middle order made the most of it. Resuming on 456-3, Brett D'Oliveira was an early LBW casualty to Wiaan Mulder for 54, but Azhar Ali provided early boundaries and added twenty-three runs to his overnight total before getting himself in a tangle as he shuffled across his stumps and then tried to lean back to free his arms for a cut, with the net result that he was bowled by Chris Wright for 225; the highest total by a Worcs batsman at New Road since his namesake Moeen scored 250 against Glamorgan in June 2013, accrued over the course of nine and a quarter hours at the crease. With that solid platform laid, the Pears cruised past 500 and Ed Barnard provided 26 before hooking Wright straight to long leg. New man Ben Cox was in a walloping mood, and raced to his half-century off just forty-six balls, including three sixes off Callum Parkinson; one of which carried Worcs beyond their previous record innings of 561 against Leicestershire, set at Aylestone Road in August 1901. The eventual declaration left Cox unbeaten on 52, new boy Matthew Waite on 13, and the Pears 577-6 with a more-than-handy lead of 429. There was still time in the remaining half-hour of the session for Dillon Pennington to dismiss Rishi Patel LBW for 1, and as the Foxes trudged in 26-1, it was about as fine a morning's work as any loyal Pear could have hoped for.

Afternoon: Had Hassan Azad stuck around to anchor the innings, as he did at Grace Road last month, there might have been hope for Leicestershire; as it was, Charlie Morris removed the opener caught and bowled for 18 with a tumbling one-handed grab as the ball looped up off a mistimed forward defensive. From there on, there was little significant resistance - Pennington had Colin Ackermann LBW for 15, then drew a top edge from Lewis Hill with a bit of extra pace and bounce beating the batsman's lazy pull and sending Coxy sprinting with outstretched gloves back towards long stop to claim the catch for 50. Waite then got a low ball to nip back in to Wiaan Mulder as the South African shouldered arms, and it clattered the off-stump to bowl him for 24; with tea looming, the Yorkshireman doubled up as Harry Swindells was caught and bowled for a twelve-ball duck, and the interval came with the visitors 125-6 and facing a three-day defeat.

Evening: The Foxes tail were to no small extent architects of their own demise, as Ben Mike's attempted leave to Waite was half-hearted at best, the ball brushed the batsman's glove on its way through to the keeper for 2, providing Coxy with his four hundredth first-class catch. It became two wickets in three balls for Waite - and four in the innings - when Ed Barnes was strangled down the leg-side for a duck, and young Rehan Ahmed ended up in something of a ballerina stance as he stood one-legged and tickled the bat at a short ball outside off, edging Morris behind for 17. Parkinson and Wright made another half-decent last-wicket stand to put some gloss on the score - again, it was the highest partnership of the innings - but Barnard managed to wrap things up at half past five when Wright sent a flat-batted slog into the deep and holed out to Waite for 31. Without embarking on an exhaustive trawl through the record books, I suspect this is the county's largest margin of victory since beating Durham by an innings and 308 runs two decades ago in June 2002, which was itself a record-breaking feat; this would therefore be the county's second-largest victory. An absolute shoeing for the East Midlanders, and a performance to be proud of in all departments for the Pears.

Worcestershire WIN by an innings and two hundred and fifty-nine runs

The Verdict: No one in the wide world of cricket can argue with a mammoth innings victory inside three days after losing the toss, and Worcestershire deserve their Sunday off after completing this phase of the Championship season in style. Azhar Ali will rightly earn the bulk of the plaudits - his 225 was the centrepiece of this weekend's triumph - but credit is also due to Matthew Waite in his first Championship match for over three years; the Yorkshireman looked right on the money from his very first ball, and even before the wickets started falling for him, his miserly economy tied Leicestershire in knots and forced errors from the batsmen. His six scalps in the match were well-earned, and the only drawback from a Worcs perspective is that such a performance won't have gone unnoticed at Headingley. If there's even the slightest chance that Waite is surplus to requirements in his home county, it would do the Pears well to get his signature on a contract as soon as humanly possible.

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Leading Run-Scorers

1. Jack Haynes - 526 (65.75)
2. Azhar Ali - 499 (49.90)
3. Brett D'Oliveira - 445 (89.00)
4. Ed Barnard - 405 (57.85)
5. Ed Pollock - 329 (32.90)


Leading Wicket-Takers

1. Ed Barnard - 16 (38.62)
2. Charlie Morris - 14 (27.57)
3. Josh Baker - 14 (45.00)
4. Dillon Pennington - 13 (20.23)
5. Joe Leach - 10 (30.40)

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It seems a shame to leave the Championship behind just as Worcestershire are finding their form in the red-ball game, but Whit Week is almost upon us, and that means the T20 Blast will fill the county schedules for the coming three weeks. Last year's campaign ended up being a frustrating summation of the problems at New Road: occasional wins with explosive batting and tight bowling were punctuated by defeats where the wheels came off in every department, and the exclusion of Riki Wessels prior to his departure seemed to sabotage the county's effort to make the quarter-finals at the worst possible time. But this summer, with a more settled side and no great weight of expectation, it'll hopefully be a smoother ride.

Our campaign opens with a journey to the newly-renamed Clean Slate Headingley, where Yorkshire (as the stadium's handle suggests) are making a strenuous effort to begin a new chapter in their history. Having missed out on the entirety of last year's competition, Pat Brown makes a welcome return to the white-ball squad along with winter signing Taylor Cornall and all-but-forgotten man Gareth Roderick. Meanwhile, in Tuesday's warm-up against Somerset seconds Ed Pollock offered a glimpse of just what he can offer at the top if he makes his Rapids debut tomorrow.

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

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T20 Blast, North Group

vs Yorkshire

Headingley, Leeds

Worcs innings: The Rapids won the toss and elected to bat on a bright and windy Wednesday evening in Leeds. With the exception of one tight over from Dom Bess that saw Ed Pollock bowled for 5, the powerplay was a great success as Brett D'Oliveira and Jack Haynes raced along at above ten an over, until the former was finally caught for 32 off the bowling of Joe Root, leaving the visitors 70-2 after six. This had advanced to 102-2 by the halfway mark, but the loss of Haynes for an excellent 61 was the beginning of the end for Worcestershire's forward momentum. Tight, boundary-less middle overs from the likes of Adil Rashid and Haris Rauf caused a middle-order collapse as Rapids batsmen tried to attack balls that weren't there to be attacked; Ben Cox went for 11, Jake Libby for 25 and Gareth Roderick was run out by a direct hit for a duck as the innings subsided to 147-6. Late resistance from Ed Barnard (before he too departed for 18) helped Worcs up to 172-9 off the twenty, but it was a total well short of what we'd been bound for, and felt at least 20 runs sub-par.

Yorks innings: Crucially, the hosts managed to keep wickets in hand during the chase while keeping step with the required run-rate. There were admirably tight overs here and there, and the occasional wicket - Ed Barnard having Adam Lyth caught for 40, Dolly bowling Tom Kohler-Cadmore for 1, Charlie Morris having Dawid Malan caught for 33 - but when Harry Brook and Joe Root came together at the crease, there was no shifting them. Eleven balls remained when Yorkshire cruised home for the win.

Worcestershire LOSE by seven wickets

The Verdict: In many ways, considering the respective line-ups - Yorkshire's roster of international cricketers versus a Worcestershire XI without a single player even featuring in this year's Hundred - it was a close game with some positives to be taken. Jack Haynes, who could count his previous T20 appearances on his fingers, looked eager to continue his great season and managed his first half-century in the format; Dolly was also a major threat as an opener, and Ed Pollock will certainly do big damage on a better day. The peril of batting first is always the peculiar scoreboard pressure of not knowing what to aim for, and the Rapids were guilty of losing wickets by trying to go too hard against bowlers they should have waited out. With the ball in hand, it was the old Worcestershire T20 story of trying to force batsman errors with economical bowling in the absence of a proper wicket-taking threat, which is sadly a necessity in these first few games until we get Moeen back and our overseas men in. At full strength, this team can certainly cause problems in the North Group, but with three more consecutive matches on the road, the question is whether we can take enough from this first week to keep ourselves in contention for when the superstars arrive.

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T20 Blast, North Group

vs Birmingham

New Road, Worcester

After four consecutive defeats to begin the Blast campaign, Worcestershire were bottom of the North Group and in desperate need of a derby win in their first home match to have any hope whatsoever of a quarter-final place.

Worcs innings: A sunny Jubilee bank holiday morning gave way to a cloudier afternoon in which the Bears won the toss and put the Pears in to bat. Nevertheless, it was the best possible start as Brett D'Oliveira attacked Paul Stirling from the very first ball, slashing three consecutive deliveries to the fence on the off-side before pumping the final ball of the over down the ground for six. Ed Pollock also showed his fair share of intent, edging Henry Brookes through third man for one four, hoisting him down the ground for another and then doing the same to Craig Miles in the following over, before pulling Carlos Brathwaite high over square leg for a maximum. The former Bear's fun came to an end when he feathered one behind down the leg-side for 28, but having been dropped once, Dolly was able to finish the powerplay in style with a swashbuckling uppercut for four, seeing the Rapids onto a healthy 68-1. Making his first Worcs appearance of the season, the newly OBE'd cameo captain Moeen Ali supplied a run-a-ball 16 (including one thumping six over long-on and out of the ground) before edging behind, but after completing a superlative 29-ball half-century halfway through the innings, Dolly continued to motor as he danced down the pitch to biff Danny Briggs into the hospitality boxes for six. Hitting Jake Lintott for a six and a four back to back, he then perished for 71 with the next ball caught at mid-off; however, Colin Munro was able to accelerate until he edged behind on 41 off Brathwaite, and what the Kiwi had begun, Jack Haynes finished in style. The young man enjoying his aestas mirabilis found a penchant for pulling the ball over midwicket, and duly peppered the crowd with quickfire sixes: two came off Brathwaite and one off Miles before the latter offered up a widish slower ball that Haynes slashed to the point boundary to bring up his fifty off 22 balls. A mere three runs off the final over felt almost like an anti-climax after such fireworks, yet the final tally of 217-5 was not only Worcestershire's highest-ever against the Bears, but their third-highest of all time - eclipsed only by 227-6 vs Northants at Chester Road in 2007, and 223-9 vs Glamorgan at New Road in 2005 - giving the Rapids a firm and clear advantage at the break.

Birm innings: Birmingham, predictably, did not intend to die wondering. As Paul Stirling tucked into a painful opening over from Moeen there was a brief fear that it might all come apart at the seams, record score or no record score; but Dillon Pennington struck back in a huge second over, removing Jacob Bethell with a faint nick behind for 2 and Paul Stirling slicing to gully for 22, whilst conceding only three runs. The next over from Pennington saw Alex Davies hole out for 6 courtesy of an incredible diving over-the-shoulder catch by Haynes, and the powerplay ended with the Bears 66-3. An enthralling game-within-a-game then unfolded through the middle overs as Sam Hain and Adam Hose did enough to stay in touch with the required run-rate and establish a platform for the visitors, who were 101-3 at the halfway point; however, when Josh Baker drew a leading edge from Hose that was caught in the deep for 32, it was a crucial breakthrough. The young spinner also saw off Chris Benjamin in the fifteenth over just as the pinch-hitter began to fire, caught behind off an inside edge for 27, and new man Carlos "remember the name" Brathwaite suffered the ignominy of being run out for 5 just three balls later by a throw from his international teammate and Worcs debutant Dwayne Bravo, which caught the West Indian dithering halfway down the wicket. The noisy cadre of Beau Brummies in the stands were awfully quiet all of a sudden, and the Worcs faithful chirping up nicely as Ed Barnard had Sam Hain caught on the midwicket boundary for 45 in the next over. Though some lower-order hitting kept the Bears just about in the chase, Bravo bowled Henry Brookes for 21 and kept his cool during the final over with Birmingham needing an unlikely 25 to win, and the Norman Gifford Trophy came back to New Road in style.

Worcestershire WIN by fifteen runs

The Verdict: An enormously enjoyable bank holiday's cricket that gets Worcs back to winning ways against the old enemy after a couple of sub-par years in the derby. We may have been forced to wait longer for them than anyone really wanted, but Moeen and DJ Bravo add that extra touch of class that's needed to get over the line in close games. That said, the stars of today's show were those ever-present stalwarts Dolly and Haynesy, with an honourable mention for the wicketless Pat Brown who deserved a better return for a showing that offered a glimpse of his past best.

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County Championship, Division Two

vs Glamorgan

Day One

Morning: Glamorgan won the toss and put the Pears in to bat on a sunny midsummer Sunday with occasional cloudy spells. After a disastrous T20 campaign and a hard-salvaged draw up at Chester-le-Street earlier in the month, Worcestershire would have hoped for a change in fortunes, but the first ball of the match saw Michael Neser bowl Ed Pollock for a golden duck, while Jake Libby was caught behind off Michael Hogan for 4, leaving the hosts 8-2. Though Azhar Ali offered some resistance, he too was caught behind for 21, and new man Dolly made only 3 before departing LBW. Having debuted at Durham and copped a real shooter, Taylor Cornall showed admirable fight in his second Pears outing, but he was caught behind for 25 some twenty minutes before lunch, and the curtain was drawn on a miserable session with Worcs 84-5.

Afternoon: If, as the rumours suggest, Ed Barnard will be heading on to pastures new at the end of the season, it will leave as big a hole in the team as either Joe Clarke or Tom Kohler-Cadmore before him. For the umpteenth time this season, the all-rounder stopped the rot with a calm and assured head and the assistance of an increasingly solid Gareth Roderick, in a wicketless session that carried the Pears to 173-5.

Evening: When the rain-delayed final session got underway, Roderick was bowled for 46, Joe Leach slapped a cut to point for 12 and Josh Baker edged behind for 10 as the lower middle-order folded. However, with the support of Charlie Morris, there was time for Barnard to complete his century and then unleash an array of fours and sixes, including an audacious ramp all the way over the rope, until an attempted repeat of the stroke saw him bowled for an innings-saving 131. Morris nicked behind for 5 shortly after, and Worcs were all out for 271; a considerably better total than anyone dared hope for at lunch. Three balls into the reply, Joe Leach demonstrated why his absence has been such a loss to the team when a hint of extra bounce and seam movement caused the ball to take the edge of David Lloyd's bat and fly to first slip; in the big man's next over James Harris was squared up trying to play across the line and was caught at second slip, and Colin Ingram followed him back to the pavilion LBW off the final ball of the over. Glamorgan 32-3 at close, and after an excellent fightback it may just be that the momentum has shifted Worcestershire's way in the match.

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Day Two

Morning: Early drizzle gave way to a dazzling midsummer Monday, and if there was a lingering fear that Worcestershire might pull the usual trick of letting a team on the ropes get back to their feet, Joe Leach dispelled it when he beat Sam Northeast's forward prod to rattle middle and leg stump with a delivery angled in. His next ball was another beauty, tempting Kiran Carlson into a stroke that only sent an edge to third slip for a golden duck, completing a game-changing five-fer, though Charlie Morris inconsiderately scuppered the chances of a ten-wicket innings haul when he sent down a wicked seaming ball just full of a length that grazed Billy Root's edge on its way into the keeper's gloves. But after a short rebuild from 61-6, Leach was back at it again, breaking the seventh-wicket partnership when a fullish ball with a little extra bounce found Tom Cullen in two minds, shuffling his feet like a tap-dancer and edging to first slip. And there was time for one more before lunch as Michael Neser attempted the leave of the season against Ed Barnard, standing stock-still at the crease with his bat frozen in its backlift while a full, inswinging delivery zipped past his knees and tore through middle and off stump. 114-8 at the interval, the five-wicket morning handed both the session and the balance of the match to Worcestershire.

Afternoon: Andrew Salter, batting well down the order from where he began the season, fell victim to Barnard a little after two o'clock when his forward defensive offered a low nick to second slip, and Eddie Byrom - close to carrying his bat, the only Glamorgan man to offer any serious resistance - followed him back to the pavilion when a lofted shot against Dillon Pennington fell into the grateful hands of long-on. Glamorgan's total of 139 all out left them trailing by 132, and though Ed Pollock gave away his wicket in now-customary fashion, attacking a wide ball and edging straight to slip for 5, the Pears were able to reach tea 51-1.

Evening: Having done the hard work of seeing off the new ball and building a slow but steady score, the last couple of hours proved very bemusing for Worcs. Azhar Ali departed for 42, caught behind off a Michael Hogan delivery that kept low, and though he looked odds-on for a patient half-century, Jake Libby was perhaps guilty of a slight concentration lapse when he tried to work James Harris off his pads and was LBW for 49. And with a probing spell from Neser underway, none of the incoming batsmen truly managed to settle; concussion sub Tom Fell, in for the injured Taylor Cornall and making his first appearance of 2022, continued his rotten luck at the crease as a little extra bounce had him caught behind for 17; skipper Brett D'Oliveira then nicked one to second slip for 7, and even the sainted Ed Barnard only managed 1 before he was bowled. 147-6 at stumps with a lead of 279, those final four wickets were, if not a total collapse, then certainly a worrying subsidence that allows Glamorgan to keep a foothold in the match. Tomorrow's objective must be extending the target to 300, with every run beyond that a bonus. The evidence that even an old ball can cause problems on this pitch should at least be good news for the Pears attack, but they'll need a total to defend, and if the Worcs tail folds cheaply in the morning this match could yet go down to the wire.