Worcestershire CCC Academy (Under-18s) launched the 2024 season in impressive style with back-to-back victories over Nottinghamshire Academy and Gloucestershire Academy at Kidderminster.
They chased down a 242 target to defeat Nottinghamshire by five wickets in a 50 over fixture and then overcome Gloucestershire by four wickets in a game reduced to 30 overs per side.
In Game One, Nottinghamshire reached 117-1 but then Ben Clarke (9-0-40-3) removed opener Sam Seecharan (59) and Farhan Ahmed (52) after they had added 99 for the second wicket.
Toby Cox (7-0-36-3) picked up three wickets in quick succession – all clean bowled – at the back end of the innings as Nottinghamshire closed on 241-8.
Worcestershire were given an excellent start to their reply by openers Louis Hursthouse and Lucas Ingram who put on 135 in 24 overs.
Hursthouse made 67 off 81 balls with seven fours and Ingram 83 from 80 deliveries with three sixes and seven fours.
The game was in the balance at 184-5 but Cox (32 not out) and Clarke (26 not out) put on an unbroken 61 to see Worcestershire to victory with 5.2 overs to spare.
In Game Two, a superb knock from Seth Essenhigh powered Worcestershire to victory after Gloucestershire had totalled 186-8 in 30 overs.
The wicket-keeper-batter raced to 77 off just 48 balls with SEVEN maximums and two fours.
He put on 93 for the fourth wicket with Henry Hawes (37) in the decisive stand of the innings.
Jeet Varaich, Joshua Leach and Asad Ullah Azami had earlier all picked up two wickets for Worcestershire.
Gloucestershire stood on 97-1 at one stage but then lost wickets at regular intervals.
