Friday, March 25th, 2022

PENNINGTON AND FINCH IMPRESS WITH BALL AND PICK UP FOUR WICKETS APIECE AT AGEAS BOWL

Dillon Pennington and Adam Finch impressed with the ball for Worcestershire and were rewarded with four wickets apiece in the two-day encounter with Hampshire at the Ageas Bowl.

On day one, Pennington made early inroads with the new ball and bowled well again today as he finished with 4-33 from his 16 overs.

Finch settled into a consistent line and length throughout, and he ended with 4-64, also from 16 overs.

Hampshire batted for a further two sessions today with several of their front-line batters having two knocks, and they eventually closed on 270-12 from 87 overs in reply to Worcestershire’s 201-9 from 60 overs.

Mitchell Stanley (2-43 from 10 overs), Joe Leach (1-50 from 20) and Josh Baker (1-43 from 18) were the other wicket-takers in a good work-out for the entire attack.

Hampshire resumed this morning on 75-7, and, on a wicket where the ball moved around throughout, Leach made the first breakthrough of the day when he bowled Ian Holland for five.

Joe Weatherley and Nick Gubbins added 56 before the latter on 36 was caught behind to give Finch a fourth scalp.

Hampshire reached 156-9, but then two more wickets fell in successive overs.

Aneurin Donald (23) edged Stanley to Ed Pollock at second slip, and the opening batsman then held onto another chance offered by Weatherley (33) off Pennington for his fourth wicket.

Ben Brown and Liam Dawson added 70 in 21 overs, but spinner Josh Baker, who impressed on his first-team breakthrough last summer, bowled Dawson for 34.

Felix Organ, who had retired not out overnight, came back to the wicket to accompany Brown (47 not out) through to tea and the end of the Hampshire innings.

Worcestershire went into bat for the final session of the game and quickly lost Tom Fell (1), Jake Libby (0), Ben Cox (0) and Leach (11) in a rejigged batting line-up.

Baker struck 30 from 45 balls before he was lbw to Liam Dawson, Pennington made 14 and was then bowled by Mason Crane, and Finch (0) was run out.

Youngsters Reeve Evitts, nine not out, and Ismail Mohammed, seven not out, were at the crease when the game ended with Worcestershire 72-7 from 29 overs.

Opener Pollock did not bat today but could take the most satisfaction of the Worcestershire batters with two good knocks on the opening day, including a fine 85.