Fresh off a season-best score of 151, Worcestershire wicket-keeper batter Gareth Roderick reflected on his side’s challenging season in Division One whilst also revealing how much he is enjoying his shift down to the middle order.
Resuming day three 95*, Roderick cautiously made his way to three figures after the delayed start to the third day of the Rothesay County Championship clash with Durham, before batting on through the afternoon to cash in on a docile wicket and against an under-firing Durham bowling attack to make a dominant 151 from 278 balls.
Occupying the crease for almost seven hours in total, the Pears’ top-scorer in the match confirmed the switch to number six having spent large parts of the season opening the batting, has been a refreshing change.
“It was nice to spend some time in the middle, whether it is up the top or down in the middle is very nice.
“Obviously the ball tends to do less in the middle, it was nice to come in having a decent start. Then coming in for the second or third change bowler makes it a bit easier to get away. It can be really tough up against a new ball, although it has been a bit weird waiting up there after you usually just strap up and get ready to face the first ball, but yes, it’s quite nice going down there.
“And the platform has really been set really well the last two days, the boys set a perfect platform.
“I do like a challenge, but whatever the team kind of needs, that’s where I’m at and where my mind’s always been. So whatever’s kind of needed of me, I’m happy to stick wherever.
“I think it’s very nice pitch to bat on, you can get something for sure, there’s not too many demons. At times it can be hard to score. We know they have got a quality bowling attack that doesn’t really miss very often, so it’s not super free scoring, but there isn’t a lot of demons in it so if you can get yourself in, stay patient and concentrate then there’s not too many surprises.”
Despite dominating the last two days of action at Chester-le-Street, eyeing a seismic score of 600 in a game that is destined to see the spoils shared, Worcestershire have shown their ability to build a platform with the bat and punish teams whilst staying in matches for sustained periods.
Fighting hard in unrelenting Division One for a second successive season, it was today confirmed that Worcestershire would be relegated to Division Two upon the completion of the season, with mathematical survival no longer possible.
Having battled valiantly throughout, against sides littered with international calibre players, Roderick was making no excuses in his assessment of what has been a frustrating yet more than respectable season for his side.
“We know it’s one very tough Division and I think we have had some really tough games that could have gone either way and I think in the crucial moments this season as a unit, we probably haven’t stood up as we did the year before and lost those moments.
“I think in the grand scheme of things those moments are quite big, when you look back at the end of the year, they seem like a small moment at the time. But you know, when the result comes in at the end of four days and once the season is finished those moments matter.
“Those moments and small periods of even 15/20 minutes can really hurt you and this year we’ve been behind the eight ball. We’ve missed out and not capitalised on those opportunities. We’ve had plenty of opportunities to win games of cricket, we just haven’t quite got there.
“We have a big job to do tomorrow and I’m sure we’ll have a bowl at some stage and we have got to put our best foot forward and try take as many wickets as we can.”
