Rehaan Edavalath completed a superb unbeaten double century for Worcestershire Academy on the final day of their drawn ECB Under-18 County Championship encounter with Somerset at Taunton Vale.
The opener’s marathon knock began late on the opening day and extended into day three as he struck 233 not out from 298 balls with four sixes and 29 fours and batted for almost eight hours.
Edavalath helped Worcestershire recover from 0-2 to reach 430 all out – a first innings lead of 162 – and Somerset lost five wickets before they wiped out the deficit.
An unbroken eighth wicket stand of 83 between Max Horton and JT Langridge enabled the home side to escape with a draw as they closed on 276-7 from 71.4 overs.
But Worcestershire moved to the top of the Group Two table after collecting 13 points – four for batting, four for bowling and five for a share of the spoils.
Worcestershire resumed on 307-7 with Edavalath on 171 and he added 79 for the eighth wicket with Myles Holland (33).
Two wickets fell with the total 334 and Edavalath was on 186 when last batter, Gohar Nisar, walked to the wicket.
But the pair put on 96, enabling Edavalath to complete his double ton, with Nisar hitting 42 off 33 balls before his dismissal.
When Somerset batted, Ben Clarke picked up three wickets and finished with figures of 13-5-37-3 while Cameron Jones, Jack Home, Nisar and Holland all struck once.
