Sunday, September 17th, 2023

LIBBY BIDDING TO JOIN SELECT BAND OF WORCESTERSHIRE PLAYERS

Jake Libby is bidding to join a select band of Worcestershire players who have scored 1,000 County Championship runs in a season on two or more occasions this century.

The prolific opener needs 45 runs from the final two games to reach four figures for the 2023 season and emulate his achievements of 2021.

Only six players have managed that feat for Worcestershire since the competition split into two divisions in 2000.

Vikram Solanki, Graeme Hick, Daryl Mitchell and Ben Smith – all former captains of the club – completed 1,000 runs in a campaign on four different occasions.

Moeen Ali and Stephen Moore reached that milestone twice.

The highest aggregate in a season for Worcestershire during the current millennium was the 1,477 by Ben Smith in 2005.

2000 – Vikram Solanki 1062, Average 46.1, Centuries 2.

2001 – Graeme Hick 1390, 60.4, 6; Phil Weston – 1044, 43.5, 2.

2022 – Graeme Hick 1262, 52.5, 3; Ben Smith 1060, 42.4, 3; Anurag Singh 1074, 37, 2.

2003 – Ben Smith 1155, 48.1, 2; Stephen Peters 1009, 38.8, 2.

2004 – Graeme Hick 1349, 56.2, 3.

2005 – Ben Smith 1477, 61.5, 6; Stephen Moore 1303, 50.1, 2.

2006 – Vikram Solanki 1252, 46.3, 4; Phil Jaques 1148, 88.3, 3; Graeme Hick 1023, 48.7, 4; Steven Davies 1004, 38.6, 3.

2007 —-

2008 – Stephen Moore 1288, 53.6, 5; Vikram Solanki 1127, 46.9, 4; Ben Smith 1004, 43.6, 0.

2009 – Daryl Mitchell 1022, 34, 1.

2010 – Moeen Ali 1260, 48.4, 3; Alexei Kervezee 1190, 44.0, 3; Daryl Mitchell 1180, 42.1, 4.

2011 – Vikram Solanki 1148, 42.5, 3.

2012 —-

2013 – Moeen Ali 1375, 62.5, 4.

2014 – Daryl Mitchell 1334, 58., 5.

2015 – Tom Fell 1084, 41.6, 3.

2016 – Joe Clarke 1206, 48.24, 5.

2017 – Daryl Mitchell 1266, 55.0, 7.

2018 —-

2019 —-

2020 —-

2021 – Jake Libby 1075, 56.57, 4.

2022 —-