Worcestershire v Lancashire, Rothesay County Championship, Days 1-4

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Weather overruled any chance of a result at New Road as a promising final day of Rothesay County Championship action between Worcestershire and Lancashire ended in a share of the spoils.

The hosts made every effort to force victory against the clock, with Beyers Swanepoel’s counter-attacking 63 from 55 balls and a Jake Libby half century propelling the Pears to 263-7.

George Balderson (4-78) caught the eye once again for the Red Rose, before Worcestershire skipper Brett D’Oliveira (45) declared midway through the evening session with 32 overs left in the day in a last-ditch attempt to claim some valuable bonus points.

Trailing by 81 runs, Lancashire managed just two overs of their reply before the rain proved terminal, with the draw handing Worcestershire a blow in their quest for Division Two promotion.

Head Coach Steven Croft said:

“We got stuck in on a pitch the was doing a little bit, I wouldn’t say we were a million miles off despite being a bit short with the bat.

“We had some good contributions down the order in that first innings which was promising and important, but it isn’t where we want to be still.

“It is a tight turnaround now, the lads are dying to get it right, both the senior players and the less experienced ones so this block comes at a good time where we don’t have to wait long for an opportunity to make it better.

“We want to finish strongly; we are desperate to put the wrongs into rights and correct the mistakes we have made and put it right in the middle.”

Day Three

No play was possible on Day Three of the Division Two clash between Worcestershire and Lancashire, as heavy rainfall forced another washout at New Road.  

Rain throughout the day made any possibility of cricket seem unlikely, with the umpires abandoning the day without a ball being bowled shortly before 3pm.  

Having already lost day one to rain, the chances of a result now seem slim for either side, with Sunday’s final day the only chance for Worcestershire or Lancashire to collect any available bonus points.

Day Two

Worcestershire made the most of the bowler friendly conditions at New Road to dismiss Lancashire for 180 on a stop-start day of Rothesay County Championship Division Two action.

Having lost the entirety of day one to rain, the home side pushed the game on to see Lancashire to 60-4 at lunch, but Keaton Jennings’ vital half-century kept the visitors in the fight.

Beyers Swanepoel (4-37) and a Fateh Singh three-fer pushed the Pears into the ascendency whilst dodging the rain, but some late resistance saw the away side scrap to 180.

Tom Bailey snagged a wicket in the first over of the reply to reduce Worcestershire to 12-1, but saw progress halted late on as play was suspended for bad light.

Keaton Jennings said:

“If you have guys set out there, the ball softens and it is quite nice to score, but we didn’t quite get guys in to bear the fruits later.

“180 is a score. It is probably below par and we need to make sure we come tomorrow and bowl well, but it is something to bowl at.

“If we get a couple with the new ball you never know where you can end up.

“It is always good to contribute to the team total and I felt good for it, but you judge yourself on hundreds, two hundreds etc.”

Day One

Rain and thunder throughout the morning delayed the day’s planned start at New Road, but persistent showers into the afternoon thwarted any chances of play, with play abandoned without a ball bowled shortly after 4:30pm. 

The two sides will return hoping for better fortunes on day two, with both teams chasing an important victory as the Division Two season run-in continues to heat up.