County Championship 2024. Division 1. Worcestershire v Somerset 26th, 27th, 29th and 29th April. Kidderminster.

Jack Leach, (knee injury), Tom Abell (hamstring) and Craig Overton (rested) were unavailable.

Worcestershire. J.D. Libby, G.H. Roderick (w), Kashif Ali, R.P. Jones, A.J. Hose, B.L. D’Oliveira, J.O. Holder, M.J. Waite, J. Leach, B.J. Gibbon, A.W. Finch.

Somerset, M.T. Renshaw, S.R. Dickson, T.A. Lammonby, L.P. Goldsworthy, T. Banton, J.E.K. Rew (w), L. Gregory (c), C. Overton, J.H. Davey, M. Pretorius, S. Bashir.

Overnight. Somerset 309 for 9 dec. Worcestershire 107 for 1. Worcestershire trail by 202 runs with nine first innings wickets standing.

Third day 28th April – “You can walk a wicket”

There was evidence everywhere of heavy overnight rain when I looked out of the window at half past eight. Everything was wet, rain was spattering heavily into puddles and people were scuttling across the courtyard on their way to the hotel restaurant for breakfast. It was a scene which gave no confidence that play would start on time, and the rain didn’t relent for another hour and a half. No play before lunch I concluded. However, after the unexpectedly prompt start after rain on the second day, I kept a close eye on the Somerset CCC live blog, the most reliable and prompt source of information on playing conditions I have found at Somerset away matches. With half an hour’s notice, the blog conveyed the announcement that play would start at ten minutes past twelve. The ground was a mile and a half from my hotel, and I needed to buy lunch on the way. Kidderminster was a quick-drying ground I had been informed, but two hours after a night of heavy rain on already wet ground?

At least the short notice enabled me to maintain my tradition of arriving late for the start of play, six overs late to be precise, and to discover that the Worcestershire management had taken the stewards off the gate and were allowing free entry. I, of course, had bought my ticket in advance to save a couple of pounds. Given the troubles and costs Worcestershire had suffered because of the winter weather, I didn’t have the heart to claim my money back. The weather at least now looked stable and, although a cold wind still blew, I opted for one of the plastic seats near the shelter I had retreated to late on the second day rather than in it. “The only ground in the country with play,” said the text as I sat down

Twenty-three runs had been added in the six overs I had missed, all but four an over, Worcestershire continuing their metronomic pace of the afternoon before. Lewis Gregory and Jake Ball were bowling when I arrived, and the ball went past the bat more than once, but three fours came from the first four overs I saw, two of them driven, one each by Jake Libby and Gareth Roderick. Worcestershire 147 for 1, almost halfway to Somerset’s 309. Worse from a Somerset perspective, a ball from Gregory was edged by Libby low to the right of Aldridge at second slip. Aldridge reached, got his hands to the ball, but the ball rolled away to a groan from Somerset supporters. Aldridge dropped to one knee and stayed down for an eternity, the usual signal that a catch has gone down. Back on his feet, he pointed to a spot on the ground inches in front of where he had intercepted the ball. Perhaps the ball landed an inch or two short of his waiting hands. Was it a drop? It would have taken a harsh jury to convict.

Gradually, the cloud thinned and turned white, although the wind still carried a chill. It was not as cold as on the first two days, but shoulders were still hunched and anoraks zipped tight. As to the cricket, the ‘catch’, dropped or not, and the balls that went past the bat may have given the batters pause for thought, for the pace of Worcestershire’s scoring slowed. Three maidens followed Aldridge’s attempted catch, and only eight runs came in seven overs while Migael Pretorious beat Roderick three times. Then, with the situation stabilised, the batters attacked. Twenty-two runs came in the three overs before lunch, ten coming from the last, bowled by Pretorius. Three boundaries came off Roderick’s bat, two in an over from Pretorius, one driven straight, and one off a thick inside edge. Two balls in the over went past the edge too, but such luck as there was went to Worcestershire. And, when all was done, the players went off to a late lunch with Worcestershire on 185 for 1, 124 behind, with two batters in full flow and both past fifty.

I sat and surveyed the outfield and surrounds, and an occasional Somerset supporter meandering the boundary stopped to chat. Most mentioned the cold, especially that of the first two days. It was a cold which could not be escaped and which constantly pressed on the mind. The unanimous view of the cricket was that Somerset had a fight on their hands, for a significant Worcestershire lead looked inevitable. The ball was beating the bat, but it was one of those days on which bats seemed to have a force field around them and Somerset optimism was in short supply.

The early afternoon did bring some hope for Somerset, but by the end of it, Worcestershire were still moving along at more or less four runs an over and were on the cusp of dominating the match. Shoaib Bashir brought the early hope. He did not bowl a ball until the 58th over, often looming over proceedings from mid-on like a bird of prey awaiting the opportunity to strike. By the 58th over Worcestershire were within a hundred runs of Somerset’s total. Bashir, from the Railway End, immediately applied a brake. One run came from his first two overs and then a full ball, pitched a foot wide of Libby’s off stump, turned. Libby attempted a leaden-footed drive, and the ball hit the stumps. Worcestershire 217 for 2. Libby 97. Deficit 92. Bashir burst into an enormous smile and was pursued into the covers by the Somerset team.

Kashif Ali joined Roderick and was immediately positive. Gregory, from the Pavilion End, was driven off the back foot through the covers for four and Pretorius, replacing him, was driven square for four more. Bashir was lofted over wide long on, the ball soaring over the boundary to my left and out of the ground in the direction of the railway. But four balls later, Bashir struck again. Again, he turned the ball, pushed Ali back on his stumps, beat the bat and struck the pads. It was one of those leg before wicket decisions that just looked out, even from beyond the boundary at straight midwicket. More celebrations from Bashir. Worcestershire 243 for 3. Ali 17 from 20 balls. Deficit 66. With Bashir working some magic, a Kidderminster CC official walked along the boundary informing people that tea would be taken at ten minutes past four, there being no public address system, audible on the side of the ground where I was sitting at least, for this hurriedly rearranged match.

No sooner had Somerset supporters breathed a sigh of relief at Bashir’s second wicket, than Pretorius went straight through Rob Jones’ defensive stroke and pushed his middle stump back. Worcestershire 244 for 4. Jones 0. Deficit 65. Hope could now be detected in the applause of the scattered Somerset supporters, perhaps driven by Pretorius having earned his wicket with some persistently accurate bowling added to which Bashir was turning the ball. With Ball and Gregory bowling well too, Somerset were coming back strongly. But, with hope renewed, Jones’ wicket proved to be the high point of Somerset’s day.

Roderick and Adam Hose, with some early luck, began to push the Worcestershire score forward again. Had the luck been with the Somerset bowlers it might have been different, but the edges that came produced runs rather than chances. Roderick made his intentions clear with a reverse sweep off Bashir for four. Hose added four more off Pretorius from a thick inside edge to fine leg to take Worcestershire to their first batting point, and four more in the same over with a sharp pull to long leg. When Roderick edged Bashir past slip there were audible gasps despite the crowd being below two hundred, but two more were added to the total.

Now, Hose pushed harder still. Pretorius was pulled to the midwicket boundary and Bashir slog swept square for a one bounce four, the ball crossing the rope to my right. Aldridge was tried for one over, but it cost ten runs, Hose top edging a cut over the slips, one bounce for four, and cutting the next ball through backward point for four more. Finally, he drove Bashir straight back over his head for six, the ball crashing into the Railway End fence with a crack that must have been heard all around the ground. And then, anti-climax, he pushed gently forward to Ball and edged, the ball looping almost apologetically straight into the ever-waiting hands of Gregory at slip. “Yes!” shouted a jubilant Bashir. Worcestershire 298 for 5. Hose 39 from 47 balls. Deficit 9.

With tea approaching, Roderick pushed Bashir to mid-on for a single and raised his bat in response to the applause for his century, scored from 189 balls in four and three-quarter hours. It had been a marathon, but with Libby he had established the strongest of bases for Worcestershire and had provided solidity in his partnerships with Ali and Hose. Tea came with Worcestershire on 312 for 5, three runs into the lead and with Roderick still at the crease on 109. At the other end, Brett D’Oliviera was warming up having confidently clipped Bashir behind square for four, the ball bouncing through Overton’s legs at leg gully. Although my teatime count had the crowd at about 170, there was a confident buzz from the Worcestershire supporters. It contrasted with the tension in the voices of some Somerset supporters I spoke to, most anticipating a declaration before the close, a difficult few overs and a tense final day. With the ball rarely beating the bat, no one talked of Somerset taking the final five Worcestershire wickets.

My notes for the evening session show Worcestershire declaring after adding another 139 runs in 32 overs for the loss of four wickets but with still barely a beaten bat. It left them with a lead of 142 and the time to bowl a few overs at Somerset before the close. The lead was built on a steady, mainly accumulative innings from D’Oliveira and a swashbuckling one from Joe Leach. Roderick was soon gone. He drove Bashir back over his head for six, but in attempting a repeat off Ball he succeeded only in chipping the ball to Tom Banton at mid-off. Worcestershire 325 for 6. Roderick 122. Lead 16. Jason Holder lofted Bashir over long on for another six and drove him through extra cover for four, but was then leg before wicket to Gregory playing back. Worcestershire 349 for 7. Holder 12. Lead 40. The sun at least was now shining, as far as I could recall for the first time in the match, and the temperature had risen from freezing to cold.

D’Oliveira built his innings slowly at first. His first boundary after tea, a square drive off Bashir, did not come until the 11th over. By then he had been at the crease for 15 overs and was 13 not out. With the departure of Roderick and Holder, and the arrival of the tail, his approach changed. Bashir, who had bowled continuously from the Railway End since he began, was reverse swept for four to take Worcestershire past 350 and their third batting point while Gregory was driven through extra cover for four more. Matthew Waite soon went though, bowled by Gregory trying to hit the ball over midwicket and probably out of the ground. Worcestershire 367 for 8. Waite 5. Lead 58. The crowd was very small for a first-class match, but you could feel tension building as the Worcestershire lead rose. With the wicket taking turn, and Bashir testing the batters more than the number of boundaries he was conceding suggested, the prospect of Worcestershire putting Somerset under pressure on the final day was on everyone’s minds.

With Leach now joining D’Oliveira, Worcestershire began hitting out with apparent ease, the game running ever further away from Somerset. The pair added 84 runs, fuelled by an unbeaten 43 from 42 balls from Leach. He had some luck, edging Pretorius past slip for four and top edging a pull off Aldridge over the keeper’s head for four more to a joyous Worcestershire shout of, “Hooray!” He also played an adept late cut for four off Gregory. Fifty-nine runs came in the final seven overs. There were ten runs from an over from Pretorius, a thick edge off Leach’s bat running for four and bringing cheers because it took Worcestershire past 400 and another batting point. There were two sixes from Leach when he pulled both Bashir and Aldridge over midwicket. D’Oliveira drove Aldridge through extra cover to the boundary where the small, ever-hopeful group of Somerset supporters were still gathered in front of the burger van. Next, he pulled him over long on to the Pavilion before being caught behind for 66 trying to pull a ball from Aldridge which was pitched very wide of off stump. And with that, he declared the Worcestershire innings closed on 451 for 9 with Somerset facing a deficit of 142 and three overs in the chilly evening sun.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if we lose,” said one pessimistic Somerset supporter. “Well, I’m going to sit down when we start,” said another, “You can walk a wicket.” Worcestershire supporters on the other hand, the few remaining in the ground, were buoyant. The match had developed beyond their expectations. Leach began from the Railway End with the keeper, Roderick, standing up to the stumps. Somerset’s start was not auspicious. Matt Renshaw was beaten by the final ball of Leach’s over. Four byes. The second ball of the next over, from Holder, showed that a spectator sitting down is an ineffective method of avoiding a wicket. Dickson pushed defensively but hard, and edged to Roderick. There were whoops and cheers from Worcestershire supporters, and after Ball, undertaking the nightwatch, and Renshaw had survived the rest of the three overs, the players walked off with Worcestershire needing nine wickets while not allowing too many Somerset runs on the final day.

Close. Somerset 309 for 9 dec and 5 for 1. Worcestershire 451 for 9 dec (G.H. Roderick 122, J.D. Libby 97, B.L. D’Oliveira 66, J.T. Ball 3-72). Somerset trail by 137 runs with nine second innings wickets standing.