Worcestershire 2nd XI vs Warwickshire 2nd XI – 2nd June 2026
Worcestershire 2nd XI suffered five wicket defeat at the hands of Warwickshire on Tuesday afternoon, as the group stages of the Central Group 2nd XI T20 competition continued at Bromsgrove.
Jake Libby top-scored for the hosts with 43, but no other batter was able to kick on, as Rehaan Edavalath (33*) made the next best contribution in a Worcestershire total that managed 159-5.
The visitors eased to their target with 21 balls spare, winning by five wickets, as Harry Darley’s 3-30 headlined the Worcestershire effort with the ball.
Asked to bat first at Bromsgrove, Dan Lategan could only make seven before he was caught behind off the bowling of former pear Olly Hannon-Dalby, bringing Libby to the middle.
It was, however, Isaac who looked to shift through the gears in the early stages of his innings, racing to 20 with three boundaries, as Libby eased his way into proceedings.
Isaac’s wicket fell in the eighth over, when at 47-2, Genaro Reddy made his way to the crease, adding 42 runs for the third wicket, before Reddy was caught behind by Kai Smith after top-edging an attempted reverse sweep for 22.
Libby found his groove despite wickets falling, clearing the ropes with an inventive scoop over fine leg, whilst showing authority to find the boundary through the offside in a crucial innings for his team.
The fourth wicket of the innings spelled trouble for the Rapids however, who had lost their in and set batter for a 34-ball-42, as skipper Edavalath and Ben Allison came together in the 14th over.
It was the youngster Edavalath who cashed in the quicker, jumping onto two short balls by depositing them over the ropes courtesy of two vicious pull shots as he searched to up the ante for his team heading into the death overs.
After Allison (12) had biffed a wide half-volley back down the ground for a maximum he too perished, leaving Jack Home to produce an enterprising cameo of 18 from just seven balls, as his three boundaries and Edavalath’s eventual 33 not-out seeing the Rapids post 159-5 after the completion of their allotted 20 overs.
A 94-run partnership between Kai Smith and Moshin Khan did the hosts no favours in their bid to defend an under-par total.
Conner Haddow (1-27) made the first breakthrough in the ninth over when he trapped Khan LBW for 29, as the home side looked to capitalise.
Dangerman Smith went on to make 68 before he was snared LBW by Ben Allison, before Harry Darley struck two balls later to remove Hamza Shaikh, well caught by Fateh Singh with the Bears 137-3.
Darley (3-30) followed up four balls later with the wicket of Vansh Jani (0) when he edged behind to keeper Henry Cullen, and his standout display was capped with a third wicket in his next over, by which point however, the result was inevitable.
The away side eased home the winning runs in the 17th over to condemn Alexei Kervezee’s outfit to a frustrating five wicket defeat, with attentions turning quickly to Wednesday’s T20 Central group game against Gloucestershire, at Stourport Cricket Club.
Worcestershire 2nd XI vs Gloucestershire 2nd XI – 3rd June 2026
Worcestershire Rapids 2nd XI struggles in the Central T20 group continued on Wednesday as Alexei Kervezee’s side fell to a 34-run defeat at the hands of Gloucestershire.
Bowling first, wickets were shared around as Worcestershire were set 191 to win, with Fateh Singh and Jack Home collecting two wickets apiece with the ball.
The chase was made all the more difficult after the Rapids subsided to 28-5, a position from which they never recovered, eventually coming up 34 runs short in another tough afternoon with the white ball.
After a frustrating defeat at the hands of Warwickshire 24 hours prior, Skipper Rehaan Edavalath elected to bowl first as his side took the field against Gloucestershire at Stourport.
Harry Darley struck early as he removed Boorman for one, as Beyers Swanepoel and Ben Allios started with intent for the Rapids.
A blitz of 70 from just 25 balls from Salzmann saw the visitors race to 99 inside nine overs, before Fateh Singh (2-32) claimed his prize wicket.
Jack Home (2-20) struck twice in one over as he had Eckland caught for 26 and then bowled Ahmed without scoring as Worcestershire checked the away side’s progress at 100-4 in the 11th.
Impressing after a tricky day with the ball against Warwickshire, Home did well to hit back, going at an economy rate of just five-an-over in a pinpoint spell on Wednesday.
Gloucestershire continued to score at a smidge under nine-an-over, before some tidy work behind the stumps from keeper Gareth Roderick saw him stump Rao well short of his ground after Singh beat his bat.
At 131-5, another 23 runs were added as Jake Libby (0-8) was handed a solitary over before a superb bit of fielding by Ben Allison secured a sixth Gloucestershire wicket, as he kicked the ball onto the stumps at the strikers end on his follow through in a sharp piece of reaction skill.
Allison followed it up with a more regulation wicket in the 19th over as he had Ed Middleton caught for 26 at long-on by Beyers Swanepoel, with the innings ending and Worcestershire set 192 to win.
A catastrophic opening five overs however almost ended the chase before it started, as the Rapids subsided to 28-5.
First team regulars Kashif Ali and Gareth Roderick departed within two overs of one another, as the Rapids top-order failed to fire against a prominent Gloucestershire attack.
Finn Gordon made nine before he was caught, and the wickets in consecutive balls of captain Edavalath (2) and Libby first ball, put the Rapids in serious jeopardy.
A fifty-run stand between Seth Essenhigh and Beyers Swanepoel stemmed the flow of wickets, with Essenhigh displaying great control to manoeuvre the ball into gaps and running hard between the wickets.
Swanepoel took a more aggressive approach, belting four fours and a six in his 16-ball cameo of 29, but when he failed to connect with one and found the fielder at long-on in the 10th over, Worcestershire were 78-6 at the halfway stage and well adrift.
Essenhigh (20) was trapped LBW, before series of starts ensued, as Allison (31 from 18) and Jack Home (25 from 17) saw the Rapids beyond 130, but Allison’s wicket proved costly as the home side soon fell away.
Fateh Singh was caught for six, and Home held out in the 19th as the Rapids slipped to a 34-run defeat to remain bottom of the 2nd XI Central T20 group.
