Worcestershire’s positive spirit was on full display during the final day of the County Championship fixture against Somerset. They battled and scrapped their way to a fully earned draw with a gritty effort. The game played out at New Road, home to Worcestershire CCC. Worcestershire finished their second innings on 485 for 9, following on from their first innings of 154. Somerset had set an intimidating 670 for 7 declaration.
The highlights of the match were the performance of Tom D’Oliveira and Matthew Waite who both batted superbly. D’Oliveira was the day’s standout performer, making 121 runs, but Waite impressed with 87 runs. Their work moved Worcestershire from the bottom of the pack. They demonstrated solid defense against back of a good length deliveries and punished the bowlers’ width whenever it was provided.
As the day wore on, D’Oliveira reached his lunch time score of 99 not out, Waite 22. The duo’s partnership proved crucial in building a strong response to Somerset’s daunting total.
Somerset’s Jack Leach managed to break through and ended Joe Taylor’s stubborn resistance, dismissing him for just 12 runs off 68 balls. Leach’s wicket was a memorable one for the bowler, as it was his 500th victim in first-class cricket.
Kasey Aldridge made his mark, finding a way past Adam Finch’s defensive shot and bowling him out for eight runs. Aldridge’s bowling support, coupled with off-spinner Archie Vaughan’s superb showing, presented constant problems for Worcestershire’s batsmen all through their innings.
Through all of that adversity, Waite stood firm, never wavering under the pressure Somerset continued to place upon him. His potential match-winning exhibit was equally superb, extracting vital order that emboldened Worcestershire’s total. The squad’s overall performance secured an impressive nine points out of the match. At the same time, Somerset gained sixteen points from the tie.
Alan Richardson, Worcestershire’s head coach, was brimming with pride for his players after the match.
“We spoke at the start of play about it being a great opportunity to do something special. The spirit shown by the players against a very good side was tremendous.” – Alan Richardson
Richardson certainly know what his team is going up against but wants find the positives from the terrible loss.
“I wouldn’t go as far as to say it feels like a win, because we were outplayed for much of the game, but we can take so much from this.” – Alan Richardson
Somerset’s captain Lewis Gregory took to social media to vent his anger. Having failed to win despite possessing a terrific attack, he was pictured on a Winter Olympic’s worth of ice.
“We are hugely frustrated. We have a quality bowling attack and I’m proud of their performance on a bang average wicket that offered them nothing.” – Lewis Gregory
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