Joe Leach says his second first class hundred has been "a long time coming" and hopes it will quieten down Worcestershire team-mate Jack Shantry!
Leach scored a superb 107 not out on day two of the Specsavers County Championship clash with Derbyshire at New Road.
It followed on from Joe Clarke's career best 194 as Worcestershire amassed 475-7 declared on a rain shortened day in which Derbyshire reached 15-0 in reply.
Leach's previous century came against Gloucestershire at Cheltenham College in 2013 when he was batting at number six and not as front-line a component in the County attack as he is now.
The 25-year-old said: "It has been a long time coming. I've got a few scores, 80s and 90s, but it is nice to get over the line.
"Jack Shantry might just have to be a little bit quieter now because he was leading 2-1 in terms of hundreds scored.
"We are 2-2 now thankfully because I can't have him beating me in the century stakes!
"Has it been frustrating to have only one previous 100? Definitely. I've scored quite a few fifties now and it is disappointing not to convert (into hundreds) but sometimes batting at number eight, you can't at times.
"You are sometimes batting with the tail and you have to play your shots or play a bit differently or you end up 'not out.'
"But it was nice to have the opportunity to bat with Clarkey (Joe Clarke) for a long time and then Barney (Ed Barnard) and not have to get into a mode where I was batting with the tail and thankfully I got a hundred today."
Leach was full of praise for Clarke who resumed on 117 and achieved a career best score before falling just short of his double hundred.
He said: "I've run out of superlatives for Clarkey really. I thought that innings was a very mature one and he put away a lot of his shots.
"You associate Joe with being a high tempo player but yesterday he really dug in and this morning he came and he wanted a big, big score and good on him that he has done that.
"He's had a very good week with the Lions call-up and passing 1,000 runs last week. He is a mighty fine player."
Leach and his team-mates were left frustrated by the elements with Derbyshire only having to face 2.3 overs before the heavens opened.
He said: "The rain is a shame because we set the game up to have a good go at them this afternoon but it wasn't to be.
"We will go again tomorrow morning and we've got two days to bowl them out twice.
"The pitch was very slow yesterday. It quickened up a bit this morning but then it seemed to go a little bit slower again.
"I don't know whether that is the hardness on the ball but we will have to wait and see tomorrow morning when we will give it a good go.
"A half ten start, it will be fresh, with a new ball, and fresh bowlers and hopefully we can get stuck into them and put them under pressure."
