Worcestershire Rapids are through to the knockout stages of the Metro Bank One Day Cup for the second year running despite being edged out by three runs against Lancashire Lightning in their final Group A match at Emirates Old Trafford.
The Rapids have qualified on 10 points in second spot thanks to a superior run rate to their nearest rivals.
They will now travel to face local rivals Warwickshire at Edgbaston on Friday after they finished third in Group B.
Worcestershire can take great pride from their achievement considering they have had an injury list which has deprived them of eight senior players throughout the tournament, including the bulk of the attack.
But a combination of experienced players and raw and hungry talent have filled the gaps admirably and to achieve five victories – including a 100 per cent record at Visit Worcestershire New Road – is a magnificent achievement.
Of the established players, the top three batters in Gareth Roderick, Ed Pollock and One Day Cup captain Jake Libby have scored heavily and made match-winning contributions.
Tom Taylor has made his mark regularly with the new ball, in addition to some vital interventions with the bat, and Ethan Brookes has bowled superbly during the middle overs.
But the newcomers also stepped up superbly. Academy product Jack Home had been expecting to play Under-18s cricket this summer but his pace has brought him 15 wickets from four appearances.
On loan spinner Fateh Singh has been a big success with 15 wickets and Tom Hinley, one of three players signed from National Counties cricket, also played a crucial part with 12 dismissals and useful runs.
Lancashire were bowled out for 237 on a used pitch which became increasingly slow after Libby had won the toss.
Once again there were several excellent performances with the ball by the Rapids attack.
Taylor and Harry Darley made breakthroughs with the new ball and the former returned to bowl some excellent ‘death’ overs when the home side were looking to force the pace.
Brookes once again completely tied down one end as Lancashire struggled to force him away as he took pace off the ball.
Hinley also deserved better figures than 3-58 after causing plenty of problems and having two catches put down off his bowling.
Roderick also pouched another four catches to confirm his position as the keeper with the most dismissals in the 2024 competition.
Worcestershire were again indebted to Libby when they launched their reply and his 83 enabled him to complete a fifth half century in the tournament.
Taylor also batted with great composure and some late hitting by Hinley reactivated hopes of a win before the final two wickets fell in successive balls as Worcestershire were dismissed for 234 in 48.5 overs.
Worcestershire made three changes from the side which defeated Hampshire by eight wickets with Taylor, Darley and Josh Cobb replacing Tom Sturgess, Jack Home and Rehaan Edavalath.
Taylor instantly justified Libby’s decision to bowl first.
He took the new ball and struck with the fourth delivery of the day when Kesh Fonseka (0) tentatively pushed forward and edged through to keeper Gareth Roderick.
Darley shared the new ball and he made a second breakthrough in the final over of the powerplay with 35 on the board.
Lancashire keeper George Bell (7) took a step forward and went for an expansive drive but he was beaten all ends up by a full delivery which knocked out his middle stump.
Darley bowled an elongated opening spell and had more success in his seventh over.
Rocky Flintoff (9) pushed forward to Darley and provided Roderick with another catch.
Darley was rested after a spell of 7-1-25-2.
Ethan Brookes came into the attack and immediately settled into the accurate line and length which has been his trademark in the competition.
Lancashire captain Josh Bohannon completed a 74-ball half century and added 63 for the fourth wicket with Venkatesh Iyer.
Bohannon struck two sixes over mid-wicket but Brookes ended the partnership when Iyer (25) looked to flick him on the leg side but a thin edge was held onto by Roderick standing up.
Bohannon had two escapes in one over from Tom Hinley when on 81 and 82 with chances not being taken in the deep and then at cover.
But Hinley had his reward when Bohannon on 87 stretched at a widish delivery and chipped a catch to Rob Jones at cover after adding 80 with George Balderson.
Balderson completed his half century off 43 balls but then he also fell to Hinley.
The left hander went for a big legside hit but top edged a skier which Roderick ran around to hold onto at 200-6.
Hinley did not have fortune on his side when Harry Singh inside edged the ball past the stumps.
But his spell ended on a high note with a third wicket when Tom Bailey (8) offered a comfortable return catch.
Taylor came back into the attack and quickly dismissed Josh Boyden (2) who picked out Jones at deep mid-wicket.
Harry Singh (21) could only find Hishaam Khan at deep square leg in the final over from Fateh Singh and then Charlie Barnard (3) was run out off the last delivery attempting an impossible second run.
When Worcestershire batted, Pollock (13) collected two boundaries in Boyden’s first over but then was caught at deep backward square aiming a pull off the same bowler.
Roderick (4), who went into the game as Worcestershire’s leading run scorer in the tournament, was bowled by Boyden via an inside edge.
Jones got off the mark by driving Boyden through extra cover for four and Jake Libby turned him through point to the boundary.
But Jones on 13 tried to sweep Barnard and was caught at mid-wicket off a top edge.
Libby and Brookes added 45 in untroubled fashion with the latter demonstrating his skill at the reverse sweep with a boundary off Barnard.
But the partnership was broken when Brookes (19), who looked a long way down the wicket, went for a conventional sweep against Barnard and was given out lbw at 90-4 in the 22nd over.
Brookes was replaced by Cobb (8) who greeted spinner Singh with a back foot cover drive for four but was then caught at mid off against the same bowler.
Libby was joined by Taylor for what became Worcestershire’s highest seventh wicket stand in List A cricket against Lancashire.
It surpassed the 75 by Phil Neale and Tim Curtis on the same ground 43 years ago.
Libby’s half century was completed from 74 balls with three fours and he then smashed Iyer over the wide long on boundary for a maximum.
Taylor provided great support in another crucial knock from the former Northamptonshire player.
The stand was worth 89 when Libby, 83 from 104 balls, made room to force away a delivery from Barnard and was bowled.
Fateh Singh (1) was caught behind off Balderson and Taylor’s fine knock of 41 was ended when bowled by Williams.
Hinley (24 off 18 balls) produced some lusty blows and looked to have turned the game Worcestershire’s way but then he holed out to deep mid wicket off Venkatesh who then trapped Darley (0) lbw first ball.
Worcestershire head coach, Alan Richardson, said: “We haven’t been on the wrong end of too many results in this tournament and in terms of performance, we did pretty well. We don’t like losing but we did enough today.
“The wicket was slower than we expected and we knew we’d have to bat well and bat deep to get close. Gareth Roderick is a good judge and he thought the total was about par.
“Tom Taylor came in and bowled beautifully. He probably deserved more than the one wicket he got. I also thought Ethan did a magnificent job and Harry Darley also.
“I think Lancashire played the spinners very well but on another day Tom Hinley’s figures could have looked very different instead of three for 58.
“It was a big surface with a slow outfield, so it was important to pace the innings. We had one big partnership with Jake and Tom and we needed one more to get us over the line.
“With four needed off nine balls, you’d have backed us to win the game but there’s often a twist in the tale in white-ball cricket”
