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Day Three

Morning: In the second over of another grey day, Joe Leach coaxed Scott Borthwick into edging behind for 27, raising hopes of a Worcestershire fightback with the ball, but the opposite was in store. Runs came easily for the hosts - not least when the ball hit the keeper's helmet in the field, occasioning a rare five penalty runs - and the only other scalp in the morning session came when David Bedingham was also caught behind for 33 off Josh Tongue, as Durham reached lunch on 162-3 with a lead of 195.

Afternoon: Dropping Will Young at deep backward square on 94 was far from the best start to the afternoon; fortunately it didn't cost too much, as the opener completed his century and then fell victim to the second new ball, leaving a Tongue delivery that jagged back and struck his pad, dismissing him LBW for 103. But it was the only wicket of a frustrating session for Worcs as Durham built their lead, taking tea 304 runs ahead on 271-4.

Evening: In a decision that might prove pivotal to the match overall, the home side didn't back themselves to defend the existing lead and instead elected to carry on batting for a substantial part of the evening, losing Ned Eckersley to a catch at deep point off Charlie Morris as they piled on the runs, and allowing Jack Burnham to complete his century before making the inevitable declaration on 389-5, setting the Pears a largely nominal 423 to win. However, there was no early breakthrough in their search for victory, though Jake Libby was dropped at second slip off Mark Wood; at the other end, Daryl Mitchell took an attacking approach to the situation, notching up a swift and unbeaten 45 before stumps as Worcestershire closed on 60-0, requiring 363 more on the final day. The weather may well have the final say in this, with rain around on Sunday afternoon, but the Pears will still need to show some resilience to bring home a share of the spoils.

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Day Four

Morning: No play possible due to rain.

Afternoon: Having been let off the better part of two hours of the final day, it should have been a relatively straightforward task to see out the last two sessions for a sixth successive draw, but sadly, it was anything but. After taking a blow to the hand, Daryl Mitchell was caught at short leg for 62 off the very next ball, and that triggered a dismal collapse. Tom Fell departed LBW for 1 to a low ball that nipped back fiercely; Jack Haynes, after a period of resistance, was caught at first slip for 24; Brett D'Oliveira was caught down the legside for 7, while Riki Wessels got in a tangle and went LBW for a duck in the same over;, and all hope pretty much died with Jake Libby going for 36 in the same fashion. But there was time for Ed Barnard to nick behind for 1 before the interval, leaving the Pears 146-7.

Evening: With the innings already in tatters, the end wasn't long in coming. Joe Leach was LBW for 5 to the fourth ball of the session, and Ben Cox likewise for 11. Charlie Morris was the last man to go, caught behind for a duck, and the Pears were left to contemplate just how things went from bad to worse across a long weekend.

Worcestershire LOSE by two hundred and fifty-eight runs

The Verdict: After dodging a couple of bullets in the lengthy string of stalemates - notably escaping unscathed from matches in which they'd been second-best against Essex and Derbyshire - Worcestershire's nagging weaknesses finally caught up with them at Chester-le-Street. The frequent decision to insert teams after winning the toss just hasn't been working this year, the middle order folds like a pack of cards at the drop of a hat, and the bowling attack has yet to take twenty wickets in a match so far. Even acknowledging the strengths of a resurgent Durham on home soil, to collapse twice on a pitch which yielded only five wickets in Durham's second innings is beyond poor. The Pears now have to try and bounce back against an equally resurgent Notts, with pressure for a positive performance all the greater now that the unbeaten streak has suddenly become a winless streak.

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After being well beaten up in the north-east by a well-rested Durham side, the fixture schedule deals Worcestershire another away match against another team who've had themselves a week's rest, this time off the back of two consecutive wins. The Pears had the better of the first game against Notts until the pitch flattened out and guaranteed a draw; this time, with Gareth Roderick still out of favour and Charlie Morris rotated out, Alzarri Joseph will make his return to restore some pace to the attack. It seems the weather may well have a say again, but if the pitch has enough in it, a positive result may just be possible.

Venue: Trent Bridge, Nottingham

Last Visit: June 2018, match drawn

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

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County Championship, Group One

vs Nottinghamshire

Day One

Morning: Pears won the toss and put Nottinghamshire in to bat on a murky Thursday morning with the weather already a clear and present threat. Beneath the floodlights, an early LBW shout was denied and the openers showed some fairly breathtaking aggression to the new ball, and for a while it felt like the same old story of Worcestershire struggling after electing to bowl. But the introduction of Alzarri Joseph changed the momentum, with Haseeb Hameed undergoing a thorough examination as he played and missed multiple times during the West Indian's opening over, and fellow opener Ben Slater was the first to go from a fast Dillon Pennington length ball angled into the body which Slater edged behind for 15 with an attempted block. That wicket fell on the cusp of a heavy shower, and the morning came to an early end on 38-1.

Afternoon: After a short spell of play and another brief rain delay, Joseph got his man with a touch of extra pace and bounce from the ball surprising Hameed, who nicked behind for 24. Joe Clarke then faced one delivery before another rain break, and his first after the resumption saw him back in the hutch for a silver duck courtesy of a Pennington delivery that seamed away from the batsman and was caught behind. More rain followed, curtailing both the session and the day on a satisfying 51-3. With barely half a session played in total, those three wickets and accompanying bonus point are a welcome relief after the troubles Worcs have had with ball in hand; though the forecast for tomorrow is arguably worse, the Pears need to pick up where they left off whenever play is possible, and make every point count in this tight group.

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Day Three

Morning: After a second-day washout, there was a short delay to Saturday's proceedings while a damp patch on the wicket dried out, and when play finally got underway Worcestershire had every reason to be confident under slate-grey skies with the floodlights on. But it was the home side who seized the momentum, surviving early nicks that fell short of the slip cordon to settle in at the crease and advance the score significantly, reaching lunch on an ominous 150-3.

Afternoon: After another rain break, the ominous 150 grew even ominouser as the batsmen accelerated, reaching a comfortable six an over while the Pears attack sent down some absolute pies for them to cream away. Rain ended the session as it had begun, the second in a row completely wicketless, and Notts now on 255-3.

Evening: At last a breakthrough, with Daryl Mitchell prompting Lyndon James to miscue an onside swipe and be caught for 78; yet the Notts charge continued unabated. Steven Mullaney scored 88 off just seventy-three balls as he pushed the hosts up to 400 and maximum batting points before feathering behind off a Josh Tongue bouncer. At 400-5 the inevitable declaration came, and so began the inevitable Pears collapse. With Jake Libby caught at short leg for 2, Tom Fell top-edging behind for 10 off an unnecessary pull shot, Daryl Mitchell LBW for 9 offering no stroke, Brett D'Oliveira and Riki Wessels each departing leg-before for a duck - the latter off his first ball - and Jack Haynes then following them back to the pavilion in the same fashion for 14, Worcestershire closed on 53-6 with the innings in tatters. From making a bowler-friendly pitch look like a flat track, to making seventeen overs under sunny skies look like a September minefield, it was a gutless, pathetic display with bat and ball from start to finish. The weather may not come to the rescue on Sunday, and if the Pears continue to acquit themselves as they have so far in this match and against Durham, those fourteen final-day wickets will be a breeze for Nottinghamshire. Trailing the follow-on by 198 runs, some serious backbone is required to save this game.

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Day Four

Morning: Picking up the abject collapse exactly where it left off, nightwatchman Josh Tongue and his successor Alzarri Joseph were both caught behind for 7 and 4 respectively. Ben Cox, despite showing some resistance, then departed in the same fashion for 19 on the drive. There was over half an hour left till lunch when Dillon Pennington edged to second slip to bring the innings to its atrocious conclusion with the Pears 80 all out, and with Notts not feeling charitable enough to waive the follow-on, that left plenty of time for Daryl Mitchell to edge behind for a magnificently-made 1 before rain rudely interrupted the clown car pile-up on 10-1.

Afternoon: After a half-century stand threatened to restore some order to the chaos, normal service resumed with two wickets in three balls; Tom Fell caught at short leg for 13 and Jack Haynes caught and bowled for a duck. Jake Libby remained a pillar of resistance on his old stomping ground, bringing up his half-century and his sixth hundredth run of the season so far, but carelessly clipping a legside ball he was caught at square leg for 64, leaving the Pears 114-4 at tea.

Evening: There were forty-one overs to survive, and as it transpired, the hosts would need scarcely more than half of them to finish the job. Riki Wessels, ever the expert at judging the match situation, edged to second slip for 10 attempting a cut, and thus left Cox wide open to cop an early LBW decision for a duck. Brett D'Oliveira, two hours into an admirable rearguard action, lobbed up a leading edge and was caught for 31, and the tail offered hardly any resistance with Joseph caught down the legside for 4, Tongue losing his off stump for 6 and Joe Leach going down at the helm of his leaky ship, LBW for 7 to conclude the innings on 150 and the match as a whole. A truly risible performance for the ages.

Worcestershire LOSE by an innings and one hundred and seventy runs

The Verdict: As the New Road excuse-generator cranks into overdrive, it's vital to maintain focus on the relevant points. Yes, Nottinghamshire have past, present and probably future England Test talent on show; yes, they had a week's rest; yes, the practical need for bowler rotation in a busy schedule hurts Worcestershire. But those factors don't paper over the cracks of the county conceding 400-5 after having the opposition 50-3, nor losing twenty wickets in less than four sessions - many of them to ludicrous attacking shots when some old-fashioned stonewalling was what the situation demanded - nor the repeated failures of the top six minus Libby, nor the piss-poor record of putting the oppo in to bat. To say that improvement is needed would be an understatement, because improvement is the bare minimum required after the last two matches. Between a toothless attack and an increasingly clueless top and middle order, a serious transformation is required in the second half of this Championship season to salvage something from a campaign that's backsliding alarmingly towards the disasters of 2018 and 2019.

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County Championship, Group One

vs Derbyshire

Day One

Morning: Pears won the toss and elected to bat on a superb early summer day with spectators present at New Road for the first time in nearly two years. Whether the decision was influenced by the disasters Worcs have had in choosing to bowl first this season, it was nevertheless a risky strategy which came close to backfiring horribly when Daryl Mitchell perished LBW to Sam Conners for a golden duck off the first ball of the match. There was plenty in the pitch for the bowlers with a good deal of bounce and carry, and the lengthy new ball examination that followed saw both batsmen dropped at first slip before Tom Fell was caught behind for 12, leaving Worcestershire teetering on 21-2. After a brief and promising rebuild, calamity then struck as Jake Libby fell victim to some indecision on a misfield from young Jack Haynes, and was run out by a direct hit at the non-striker's end for 26. But calm heads and responsible batting from there saw out the session, and the Pears could claim even honours on a difficult morning at 98-3.

Afternoon: Ross Whiteley, making his first red-ball appearance in yonks after a good run captaining the seconds, couldn't quite hold his patience as he was caught at second slip for 22 thanks to a loose shot just after two o'clock. But as Haynes reached his half-century and Brett D'Oliveira joined him at the crease with some positive cricket, particularly against spinner Matt Critchley, the Pears kept Derbyshire out and the scoreboard ticking nicely for the remainder of the session, reaching tea on 214-4 with the session and the day so far now firmly in their pocket.

Evening: With the hundred partnership up, and a maiden century for Jack Haynes seemingly inevitable, it was agony all over again for the twenty-year-old when on 97 he received a rank leg-stump long hop from Critchley which made his eyes light up, tempting him into a flat pull which was plucked out of the air at deep square leg. Silly shot season continued unabated as Dolly also got himself out with a miscued pull on 71, and with six wickets down for less than 250, the Worcs innings looked in serious danger of subsiding. But Ben Cox and Ed Barnard saw off the second new ball and motored along impressively during the last hour, adding 88 before Coxy edged behind in the last over of the day, bringing Thursday to a conclusion with the home side 336-7. Still marginally Worcestershire's day, with the visitors probably a wicket or two short of what they'd have liked, though doubtless buoyed by the late breakthrough which keeps them in contention. With a tail that's used to wagging, it would be a disappointment now if the Pears didn't continue this innings for a decent spell in the morning and push the first innings total somewhere significantly closer to 400.

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Day Two

Morning: A considerably cloudier Friday, and Worcestershire proceeded with caution in bowler-friendly conditions. After completing his half-century, Ed Barnard brought up the fourth batting point with a commanding pull for four through mid-wicket off Sam Conners; however, that milestone was the signal for Alzarri Joseph - who'd been visibly losing patience with the restrained role required of him - to start flashing the bat, and he duly hit Dustin Melton straight to mid-off for 12. Melton also dismissed Joe Leach in fairly short order, when the skipper rather unluckily chopped on for 5 as he attempted to play a wide delivery. But Dillon Pennington continued to set out his stall as the most cultured number eleven in the county game when he produced a chanceless knock of 24 not out, exhibiting his full armoury of cuts and drives and even a hefty blow down the ground for six off Matt Critchley, until Barnard - perhaps a little alarmed by his partner's carefree approach - felt compelled to accelerate himself, and lost his chance of a second career century when he cut Critchley into the grateful hands of backward point for 90, ending the innings on the stroke of lunch with Worcestershire 421 all out.

Afternoon: A lengthy delay thanks to persistent drizzle wiped out a solid chunk of the afternoon before the players were able to get out; then, after just eight balls, the rain returned to wipe out the remainder of the session with Derbyshire 2-0.

Evening: After much frustrating prevarication beneath thoroughly rain-free skies, the match resumed at five o'clock and brought a swift breakthrough as Pennington coaxed an edge from Billy Godleman which flew low to first slip for 10. With an attacking field set, runs were easy to come by for the visitors, and would have been even easier but for the sodden outfield denying them several certain boundaries; that aggressive field nevertheless paid off when Leach had Brooke Guest caught for 20 at square leg. Two phenomenally strong LBW shouts were then mysteriously turned down by the umpire as Derbyshire rebuilt, and it would have been a gross injustice had the two become three when Leus Du Plooy was struck bang in front with a full delivery from Ed Barnard, but fortunately the ump had been to Specsavers in the meantime, and the finger went up to send Du Plooy packing for 7. In the conditions, Worcestershire would undoubtedly have hoped for a fourth wicket to the end the day, but Wayne Madsen and Ben McDermott battled hard to reach stumps on 91-3. Honours largely even in that closing session, but Worcestershire's day again, and the match position overall is encouraging. But it'll require some hard work on the third day to keep those wickets falling and swing the pendulum in the direction of a first win.

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Day Three

Morning: Warm weather but still plenty of cloud on a bank holiday Saturday which saw Wayne Madsen and Ben McDermott extend their resistance in the first hour, with yet another strong LBW shout denied. It was Dillon Pennington who made the eventual breakthrough, beating McDermott with a couple of testing balls before the Australian drove hard at a full delivery and edged sharply to second slip for 25. It was the first in a series of nicks, with new man Matt Critchley edging short of the slips on 2 and then being dropped off a low one-handed chance on 10; Wayne Madsen, meanwhile, managed to complete his half-century before he was gobbled up neatly at second slip off Ed Barnard for 51. Derbyshire rebuilt over the next hour, with Critchley in particular making the missed chances ever more expensive, but just when it looked like the visitors would scrape through the session at a cost of two wickets, Joe Leach struck in the last over before lunch with a rising ball that just left Fynn Hudson-Prentice as he drove at it, sending an edge flying swiftly to third slip for 25. Derbyshire were 193-6 at the interval, and their foothold in the match was slowly slipping.

Afternoon: The first hour of the afternoon proved frustrating for the hosts, as Critchley brought up his fifty leading another rebuild alongside Alex Hughes, and the Worcestershire bowlers trudged in time and again with the old ball making little impression, seemingly counting down the overs until the new nut. The follow-on target was within touching distance when Pennington came back into the attack, and with his very first delivery found the edge of Hughes's bat, having the number eight caught behind for 25. The odds would still have been in favour of Derbyshire ticking off the necessary runs with 22 needed and three wickets in hand, but the pendulum swung further away from them when Alzarri Joseph - who'd been unlucky so far in his final Pears appearance - speared a low full-toss straight into the pads of Ben Aitchison, dismissing him for 1. While Critchley desperately tried to shepherd the tail and knock off runs, Joseph welcomed new man Sam Conners to the crease in his next over by sending down a bumper that nearly decapitated the tail-ender. After that, Conners just didn't want to know, and began backing away to short leg for the West Indian's succeeding deliveries, exposing his stumps so completely that it was no surprise when he was bowled for 4 moments later. Digging in deep, Derbyshire survived the last four overs of the old ball, and were just two runs away from saving the follow-on when Dustin Melton edged to first slip off Pennington, wrapping up the innings for 270 and providing the young man with career-best bowling figures of 4-44. But there was time for Pennington's afternoon to get better still, as the follow-on was enforced and Brooke Guest went fishing outside off-stump, edging behind off the tip of the bat for 7 to leave the visitors 16-1 at tea, still trailing by 135.

Evening: In a day of small rebuilds, Derbyshire came through the first hour of the final session unscathed, and had some cause for optimism until Billy Godleman carelessly drove Joseph and edged high to second slip for 21. The floodgates opened somewhat from there, with Leus Du Plooy caught and bowled for 19 by Brett D'Oliveira and McDermott LBW for 1 off Pennington, who then dismissed the hitherto-impressive Critchley for 6 courtesy of a diving, twisting one-handed catch at second slip from Tom Fell. Dolly picked up his second in the next over when Hudson-Prentice chopped on for a duck, and though the tantalising prospect of a three-day victory reared its head, the visitors survived to close on 112-6, still trailing by 39. While nothing is ever quite a foregone conclusion in Pearland, on the evidence of the first innings it'll require some partnership from Madsen and Hughes, plus a bit of tail-wagging and a bang-up bowling performance to boot, to come between Worcestershire and victory on Sunday.

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Day Four

Morning: A scorching Whitsun, summer well and truly here, and even the most optimistic Worcestershire fan could hardly have predicted how easy it would be to wrap up the win. With the eighteenth delivery of the day, Joe Leach found the corridor of uncertainty and the edge of Wayne Madsen's bat along with it, and had the Derbyshire dangerman caught behind for 45. In the next over, new man Ben Aitchison feathered behind for a duck off Dillon Pennington, and by that point it was simply a case of who'd take the honours of seeing off the tail. Having achieved new career-best figures on Saturday, Pennington immediately went one better with his maiden first-class five-fer when Sam Conners chopped on for a duck, and it would have been a wonderful sight had the young man pressed on for his first ten-wicket haul in a match. But the final scalp instead went to Alzarri Joseph, who concluded his chequered spell at New Road with Dustin Melton edging to first slip for 1, leaving Derbyshire 128 all out.

Worcestershire WIN by an innings and twenty-three runs

The Verdict: The perfect response to the back-to-back disasters at Chester-le-Street and Trent Bridge; for the first time all season, the Pears looked both confident and competent, putting together a convincing innings with the bat and finding that crucial x-factor with the ball every time a wicket was required. While the top two is probably a bit much to hope for, the county should look to target 3rd or 4th place in the last couple of rounds, beginning with the huge visit of Durham on Thursday.