Jack Haynes became the latest Worcestershire CCC batsman to spend extended time in the middle with a fine half-century on day two of the pre-season game with Somerset at Taunton.
He followed in the footsteps of Riki Wessels, Gareth Roderick, Ross Whiteley, Daryl Mitchell, Brett D’Oliveira and Ben Cox in scoring fifty or more during the warm-up programme for the 2021 season.
With Jake Libby, D’Oliveira and Ed Barnard all making useful contributions, Worcestershire were able to total 238 all out to set the home side a 171 target.
Somerset reached 6-0 off three overs by the close. They began the day on 156-8 in their first innings and added 28 more runs without any further loss before declaring with a lead of 68.
Worcestershire Club Captain Joe Leach ended with figures of 16-3-57-3, Charlie Morris 10-1-42-2, Barnard 14-4-32-1, Adam Finch 8-2-39-1 and D’Oliveira 6-4-9-1.
In their second innings, Mitchell and Libby opened for Worcestershire, with the latter collecting the first boundary of the innings with a handsome back foot drive square of the wicket off Lewis Gregory.
Mitchell (1) was lbw to a full-length ball from Gregory, but Libby looked in good touch.
He turned a leg-stump delivery from Baker to the mid-wicket boundary before cover-driving Gregory for a third four.
Tom Fell clipped Baker off his legs for a boundary but on 10 aimed a drive at Ned Leonard and was caught behind just before lunch.
Libby was unbeaten on 26 at the interval out of 43-2, and he and new batsman Haynes scored freely during the early part of the afternoon to steer Worcestershire into the lead.
Haynes produced two delightful strokes through the covers for four at Gregory and Tom Abell’s expense, respectively.
The stand was worth 44 when Libby – 43 from 83 balls with eight fours – attempted to cut a widish delivery from Davey and edged through to the keeper.
D’Oliveira greeted the same bowler with a drive back down the ground as the Worcestershire 100 came up in 34.1 overs.
Haynes continued to score freely and brought up his half-century with a leg glance and a deliberate steer past the slips to the boundary off Brooks. It came off 88 balls and contained nine fours.
D’Oliveira helped him add 56 before, in the final over before tea, Haynes was caught behind off Leonard for 57.
Worcestershire headed into the final session on 146-4 – a lead of 78 – and Riki Wessels (15) looked in good touch until he lost his leg stump to Leonard.
D’Oliveira (32) shouldered arms to Abell and was bowled, and Gareth Roderick (0) fell to a sharp return reflex catch held onto by Abell in his next over.
Barnard produced two superb strokes in cover, driving Abell for successive fours as the 200 came up in 61 overs.
Cox (13) was caught in the mid-wicket region off Baker, but Barnard’s first 24 runs came in boundaries as the Worcestershire lead stretched past the 150 mark.
Leach (4) pushed forward and was leg before to Lewis Goldsworthy, who ended Barnard’s entertaining 39 with a caught and bowled to wrap up the innings.