Jack Home produced the best List A figures by a Worcestershire bowler for 19 years before Gareth Roderick scored a superb second century in three knocks in the Metro Bank One Day Cup during a convincing eight wicket win over Derbyshire at the County Ground, Derby.
Victory maintained the Rapids 100 per cent winning start in the tournament with a third straight win to follow on from the triumphs over Middlesex and Durham.
Pace bowler Home finished with 6-51 from 7.4 overs in only his third senior appearance as Derbyshire were bowled out for 260 in 49.4 overs.
Roderick then achieved his career best List A score of 152 not out, surpassing his 137 off the Gloucestershire attack at New Road last summer.
He looked in fine touch throughout and reeled off a series of glorious strokes all around the wicket and received excellent support in stands of 84 with Rob Jones and an unbroken 161 with skipper Jake Libby.
Home’s performance was the most productive by a Worcestershire bowler in List A cricket since Shoaib Akhtar’s 6-16 against Gloucestershire at New Road during the 2005 season.
He and his young and inexperienced Worcestershire team-mates fought back in tremendous fashion with the ball after Derbyshire had reached 108-1 from the opening 20 overs.
Spinners Tom Hinley and Fateh Singh bowled economically and effectively through the middle overs and there was an excellent spell from Ethan Brookes to maintain the pressure.
Derbyshire were reduced to 192-8 in the 42nd over before late hitting from Zak Chappell boosted the final total.
But Roderick then took centre stage as he followed up his hundred against Middlesex with another magnificent effort.
He faced 139 balls and hit one six and 22 fours while Libby remained unbeaten on 71 from 83 deliveries with eight fours.
Worcestershire made two changes from the side which defeated Durham at Visit Worcestershire New Road with Home and Hishaam Khan replacing the rested Tom Taylor and Tom Sturgess.
Libby won the toss and asked the home side to bat first on a greenish looking pitch.
Harry Darley began with two maidens in his initial five over spell but Derbyshire, benefitting from several no balls and wides, scored freely and reached 57-0 in the opening 10 over powerplay.
It was Home who made the first breakthrough when Luis Reece (34) dragged a full toss onto his stumps with 82 on the board.
Brookes bowled a tight spell from the City End, conceding just 16 runs in five overs, before Hinley, who enjoyed a five-wicket haul against Durham, struck a second blow for Worcestershire.
Hinley reacted sharply in moving to his right to hold onto a sharp low caught and bowled chance to dismiss Brooke Guest (20).
Singh came into the attack to make it an all spin combination and the duo bowled tidily in tandem and between the 21st and 30th overs conceded a combined tally of just 35 runs.
There was a further success for Hinley when David Lloyd (14) made room to cut but only succeeded in picking out Rob Jones who held another good catch at point.
Home came back into the attack and quickly accounted for Matt Lamb (13) who was safely pouched by Hishaam Khan at mid on.
The Academy product struck again when Derbyshire captain, Samit Patel, mis-timed a pull and top-edged a catch to keeper Roderick at 163-‘5 in the 36th over.
Hinley bowled his 10 overs straight through in one spell and ended with excellent figures of 10-0-38-2.
Yousaf Bin Naeem then survived a comfortable looking chance at deep mid wicket off Brookes before he had scored.
But it was not a costly miss and he became Home’s fourth victim on four when he pulled a delivery to Jones at mid wicket.
Brookes again proved hard to get away in his second spell and was rewarded when he trapped Harry Came lbw for 71 off 104 balls.
Sam Conners (0) came down the wicket to Singh and was neatly stumped by Roderick.
Brookes continued to give little away and his 10 overs produced figures of 1-31.
Some late order hitting, particularly from Chappell, lifted the final total before Home returned to polish off the innings in the final over.
Daryn Dupavillon (16) was caught by Libby running in to mid on and Chappell (48 off 33 balls) top edged a catch to Hinley at fine leg.
When Worcestershire launched their reply, Ed Pollock (11) flicked Chappell for six backward of square but was then bowled via the inside edge in the same over.
Roderick got into his stride with two delightful straight drives for four at Conners expense in the space of three balls.
The opener then flicked Dupavillon through mid wicket to the ropes and cover drove Pat Brown’s first delivery for another boundary as the 50 came up in exactly 10 overs.
Roderick brought up an excellent half century off just 51 balls after an array of varied attacking strokes.
Jones (17) provided solid support but he eventually fell to a fine catch by Conners at backward point after Chappell came back for a second spell.
Libby was soon into his stride with boundaries off Brown and Dupavillon and then Roderick upped the tempo again with three in an over from Conners.
He eventually completely a richly deserved century with a single off Patel from 101 balls with 17 boundaries out of 156-2 in the 29th over.
It was his fourth in all competitions this summer after also hitting two in the Vitality County Championship.
Libby was also scoring at an excellent rate and two off Conners took him to a 48-ball 50.
He and Roderick set a new record in List A cricket for the third wicket against Derbyshire, beating the 135 by Phil Weston and Vikram Solanki at Derby in 2001.
The milestones continued to come thick and fast and Roderick’s 150 came up from 136 balls before victory was completed with 5.2 overs to spare.
Gareth Roderick said: “It was a pretty impressive team performance. The way the guys bowled well in the middle there to restrict them after they had quite a good start.
“The spin was quite key in the middle along with Ethan (Brookes). Tom Hinley bowled well again after his five-for last week so it was nice to see him back that up
“It allowed Homey (Jack Home) to be a bit more aggressive and we are delighted for him with his first professional five-for in just his third game. He did really well.
“It was all pretty good in the field as well and we probably saved a few runs there.
“The wicket got a little nicer to bat on, if truth be told. It did a did for the first five or six overs and Sam Conners bowled a really testing length but it calmed down after that and was quite nice to bat on.
“Nice to be there at the end, not toss it away, and, yes, three wins from three.
“It was just like a red ball game, get past the first five-ten overs and see where we are and thankfully it happened.
“As well as I’ve played for Worcestershire? In white ball cricket, maybe. It was a nice one. It was quite an experienced attack as well so that makes it a little bit nicer as well.
“But more important was the win just to keep us at the top of the table. We’re elated with that with the youth that has come through and everyone stepped up and did really well.”
