Worcestershire return to action today when they take on Surrey in a Specsavers County Championship Division One encounter at the Kia Oval.
It is the first time the two counties have met in the four-day format since Worcestershire sealed promotion with victory in the final game of the 2014 season in what became known as ‘Jack Shantry’s match’ in rescuing a seemingly lost cause with bat and ball.
But two half centuries from current skipper Joe Leach in that game should also not be under-estimated.
Here are the first class records of the previous matches between the two counties.
Worcestershire: Played 127, Won 24, Lost 44, Drawn 59
Last match played: Worcestershire won by 27 runs at New Road – 9th-12th September 2014
Worcs 272 (J Leach 70, MP Dunn 3-68) & 350 (JD Shantry 101*, JW Dernbach 4-72)
Surrey 406 (JJ Roy 103, JD Shantry 6-87) & 189 (ZS Ansari 64, JD Shantry 4-44)
Highest total – Worcestershire: 701-6 dec New Road 2007
Highest total – Surrey: 576 New Road 2006
Lowest total – Worcestershire: 25 The Oval 1954
Lowest total – Surrey: 57 The Oval 1958
Highest score – Worcestershire: VS Solanki 232 New Road 2007
Highest score – Surrey: R Abel 221 The Oval 1900
Best innings bowling – Worcs: LJ Coldwell 8-38 New Road 1965
Best innings bowling – Surrey: PJ Loader 8-21 The Oval 1953
Best match bowling – Worcs: RTD Perks 12-145 The Oval 1938
Best match bowling – Surrey: AR Gover 14-85 Kidderminster 1938
Most runs – Worcestershire: GA Hick 1583 Ave: 52.77
Most runs – Surrey: JB Hobbs 2008 Ave: 54.27
Most wickets – Worcestershire: RTD Perks 109 Ave: 21.87
Most wickets – Surrey: GAR Lock 82 Ave: 15.01
Best partnerships for Worcestershire:
1st 254 GM Turner JA Ormrod New Road 1978
2nd 232 TS Curtis GA Hick New Road 1991
3rd 223 VS Solanki MM Ali Whitgift School 2010
4th 211 SH Martin BW Quaife The Oval 1935
5th 227 TS Curtis MJ Weston New Road 1985
6th 191* DN Patel SJ Rhodes The Oval 1986
7th 197 HHIH Gibbons R Howorth The Oval 1938
8th 133* PA Neale GA Hick The Oval 1984
9th 109 SJ Rhodes RK Illingworth New Road 1989
10th 49 WB Burns EW Bale New Road 1909
Best partnerships for Surrey:
1st 313 TW Hayward JB Hobbs New Road 1913
2nd 299 DJ Bicknell GP Thorpe New Road 1993
3rd 227 R Abel VFS Crawford The Oval 1901
4th 229 MR Ramprakash AD Brown New Road 2006
5th 225 RJ Hamilton-Brown TL Maynard New Road 2012
6th 220 GP Thorpe AJ Hollioake The Oval 1994
7th 173 Younis Ahmed Intikhab Alam New Road 1975
8th 141 DJ Bicknell BP Julian The Oval 1996
9th 81 RD Jackman PI Pocock New Road 1973
10th 89 F Stedman HDG Leveson-Gower New Road 1904
*Thanks to Worcestershire CCC first team scorer-analyst Phil Mellish for the above information