Worcestershire are celebrating sealing promotion to Division One of the LV=Insurance County Championship after securing a second bonus point on day two against Yorkshire at Headingley.
It was spinner Josh Baker who had the honour of lifting the total to the magic 300 mark with a two on the off side from the bowling of Matt Milnes.
He was embraced by the other batter in on loan Ben Allison as a memorable season of four-day cricket came to fruition with a return to the top flight along with Durham.
Worcestershire Club Captain Brett D’Oliveira, who started the day unbeaten on 90, had earlier completed his first century of the season.
D’Oliveira’s 12th first class century continued his prolific conclusion to the summer before being dismissed with one run required to collect the second point.
He has scored 387 runs in his last six Championship innings at an average of 77.40.
For D’Oliveira and Joe Leach, it is a third promotion with Worcestershire after the success of 2014 and 2017.
Allison, on loan from Essex, went onto hit a career best 75, surpassing the 69 not out for his parent club against Northamptonshire at Northampton exactly a year ago on September 27, 2022.
He received excellent support from Leach (36) in an eighth wicket stand of 79 as Worcestershire totalled 389 all out.
Worcestershire resumed on 280-5 after yesterday’s record-breaking partnership of 155 for the fifth wicket between Kashif Ali and D’Oliveira.
It did not take D’Oliveira long to reach three figures with a back foot steer to the offside boundary at the expense of Matt Milnes.
He punched the air in delight and his century came off 199 balls with 16 fours.
His superb contribution came to an end in the next over from Milnes on 103 when he was lbw after adding 77 with Allison.
After Baker’s moment of glory, he was caught off a leading edge at mid on off Milnes for two.
But then Allison and Leach batted aggressively in putting on 79 for the eighth wicket in just 14.2 overs.
Allison cut Milnes for his 10th boundary to complete an 87 ball fifty before went for a drive and was bowled by spinner Dom Bess.
Ben Gibbon (3) was caught behind off Matthew Revis but there was time for Leach to come down the pitch and smash Bess for six over wide long on before he was caught sweeping off a top edge against the same bowler.
Yorkshire reached 24-0 from six overs before lunch but there was only time for Leach to bowl one more over – a maiden – before bad light and rain halted proceedings and play was called off the day at 3pm.
