Worcestershire Rapids are celebrating their second successive win in the Metro Bank One Day after a superb recovery enabled them to defeat Durham by 93 runs at Visit Worcestershire New Road.
Captain Jake Libby (89 off 117 balls) produced a superb performance in demonstrating how to mastermind a recovery from a challenging position at 61-5 in leading Worcestershire to a substantial total of 260 all out.
He quickly recognised what was required after the early burst of wickets and knocked the ball around effectively for ones and twos and providing a solid barrier to the Durham attack.
Worcestershire’s leading Metro Bank One Day Cup scorer for the past two seasons was given superb support by initially Tom Taylor, then debutant Fateh Singh with his List A best 60, and Tom Hinley.
Durham were then in initial disarray themselves with the bat after Tom Taylor picked up three wickets in the first over of the innings.
Their hopes were revived by Ben McKinney’s 57 ball half century but then Worcestershire’s new signing, Tom Hinley, produced a devastating burst of wickets to settle the issue.
He destroyed the middle and lower order to end with a five wicket haul in his first ever bowl in List A cricket.
It was another impressive performance from a young and inexperienced side after Wednesday’s victory over visiting Middlesex.
Worcestershire made two changes from the side which defeated Middlesex and handed a debut to England Under-19 spinner Fateh Singh, who has signed on loan from Nottinghamshire, and recalled Tom Taylor, their only fit senior seamer.
They replaced short term signing, pace bowler Hishaam Khan, and Academy bowler Jack Home.
Durham also made two changes from the line-up which overcame Lancashire with James Minto and Mitchell Killeen into the side for Ben Raine and Stanley McAlindon.
The game was played on the same hybrid pitch as the Vitality Blast matches with Birmingham Bears and Yorkshire and the Middlesex fixture.
Worcestershire opener Gareth Roderick (2), a century-maker against Middlesex, was caught at point after driving at Bas de Leede in the first over.
Ed Pollock (2), who struck a magnificent 180 versus Middlesex, then went to pull Paul Coughlin and was caught by Killeen running around to mid wicket.
Rob Jones (1) was undone by a delivery from Coughlin which bounced on him as he edged to Scott Borthwick at first slip.
There was more assistance and movement with the new ball than previous games on this wicket.
Worcestershire ended the powerplay on 33-3 before Ethan Brookes (11) was caught down by the legside by keeper Haydon Mustard after attempting to pull Minto.
Rehaan Edavalath collected the first boundary of the innings when he pulled Jonathan Bushnell for a maximum over mid wicket.
But Worcestershire had half of their side back in the pavilion with 61 on the board when Edavalath (15) nicked a delivery which left him from Minto to give Mustard another scalp.
Libby accumulated effectively in ones and twos while new batter Tom Taylor collected three boundaries – a straight drive and pull off Mitchell Killeen and another to fine leg at de Leede’s expense.
The sixth wicket pair brought up the 100 in the 27th over and added 40 but then Taylor (25) was lbw to a Jonathan Bushnell delivery which jagged back sharply.
On loan debutant Singh showed his capabilities with the bat and smote Colin Ackerman for six over mid wicket and then came down the pitch to loft the same bowler straight back down the ground.
The left hander was the dominant partner in a half century with Libby in just 40 balls.
Libby completed a highly responsible 81 ball half century and Singh reached the same milestone for the first time from the very next delivery – his 35th.
It contained one six and five fours and the stand was worth 89 when Singh (60) was caught at mid-on off the returning Coughlin.
The stand was Worcestershire’s highest for the seventh wicket versus Durham in List A cricket, surpassing the 68 by Stephen Moore and Steve Rhodes at New Road 20 years ago.
New batter Tom Hinley made a quickfire 24 in a stand of 48 with Libby before being run out by a direct hit from deep mid wicket attempting a second to the non-striker’s end.
Tom Sturgess then suffered the same fate after De Leede had fielded his drive off his own
bowling and threw down the wicket at the keeper’s end.
Libby’s fine knock eventually ended when he was caught at short third man off Killeen.
The Durham innings then got off to a dramatic start with the three wickets falling to the second, fifth and sixth balls in the opening over from Taylor.
Alex Lees nibbled at a delivery which moved away and was caught behind, de Leede perished to a superb head high catch by Rob Jones at second slip and then a superb delivery jagged back and Colin Ackerman inside edged through to keeper Gareth Roderick.
Jones survived the hat-trick ball at the start of the next over from Taylor but was soon dismissed.
He turned Harry Darley to mid wicket and set off for a single but was run out by Libby’s direct hit at the non striker’s end.
McKinney and Scott Borthwick set about effecting a recovery and added 79 in untroubled fashion with the former completing maiden List A fifty.
But the game swung back in Worcestershire’s favour when Borthwick (33) fell to a fine diving catch by Brookes at cover off spinner Hinley (3) who then had Bushnell stumped off a wide.
Hinley continued to probe away and bowled Mustard and then trapped Coughlin lbw both in the same over.
McKinney’s fine knock finally ended on 80 when he holed out in the deep off Singh and then Hinley struck for the fifth time as Minto (7) was caught behind.
Worcestershire One Day Cup captain Jake Libby said: “It was tough batting early on and there was some swing and we didn’t get through it as well as we would have liked.
“But we know we can cash in at the back end and we did really well and Fateh (Singh) was key to that.
“I saw my role as anchoring the innings today. The scoreboard sort of dictated that and I was just trying to get us through the 50 overs and trying to get a competitive total.
“We were looking to get up to 180-200 and anything past that was a bonus and a couple of special innings down the order meant we managed to get up to what we did.
“At the half-way stage we were about par (261) but to get up to that was really good.
“Tom Taylor bowled a sensational first over and three really big wickets as well (Lees, de Leede and Ackermann).
“He bowled brilliantly up top and got his rewards and put us in a really strong position.”
