only nine players have scored a century on their red ball debut for worcestershire – and two of them achieved the feat last summer in martin guptill and alex milton.
new zealand star guptill hit 111 in the home success against lancashire – the first of two specsavers county championship matches he played for the county.
the opener went onto score the fastest domestic century of the summer – from 35 balls against home side northamptonshire in the vitality blast – and win the walter lawrence trophy.
yesterday guptill smashed 117 not out for the black caps in their odi success over bangladesh in napier.
former malvern college pupil milton’s 104 not out came against somerset at New Road and he also shared in a record last wicket stand for the county with steve magoffin.
milton, who signed a new three year contract last autumn, emulated charles fiddian-green who, in 1931, hit 108 on his debut for worcestershire in a nine wicket win over visiting essex.
the first worcestershire player to score a century on their red ball debut for the club was maurice nichol with 104 against the west indies tourists in 1928.
after fiddian-green, there was a wait of 52 years for the next worcestershire player to achieve the feat with collis king’s 123 versus somerset at New Road in 1983.
the following month david banks hit exactly 100 against oxford university in the parks and nine years later adam seymour, who had been recruited from essex, made 133 against the same opponents at the same ground.
ben smith (137), signed from leicestershire, also achieved the feat against the students in the parks in 2002.
it was back to the county championship for the last player to score a 100 on his worcestershire debut before guptill and milton.
phil jaques made 107 against surrey at the kia oval in 2006 in the first of three spells with the county.
