Worcestershire 2nd XI secured their first win in Group One of the 2nd XI County Championship inside three-days, crushing Essex by an innings and 91-runs.
Henry Cullen (221) and Ben Gibbon (177) put the hosts in total control with their mammoth sixth-wicket partnership equalling 268, as the pair helped their side establish a 298-run lead.
Worcestershire’s bowlers shone across the third day, as they combined to skittle Essex for 207 and complete a comprehensive win.
DAY ONE
Worcestershire 2nd XI welcomed Essex to Kidderminster on Monday for their second four-day game of the season, looking to hit the ground running after drawing with Lancashire earlier in the season.
Skipper Rehaan Edavalath won the toss and elected to bowl on a green tinged surface, as his opening bowlers Yadvinder Singh and Harry Darley took a wicket apiece inside the first four-overs of the contest, to reduce Essex to 17-2, with experienced pro’s Nick Browne and Robin Das both back in the hutch.
The away side added 51 for the third-wicket, before youngster Henry Hawes (1-34) snagged his side’s next breakthrough. Essex’s middle order batted on past 100, before losing two-more wickets in one Yadvinder Singh over, as the seamer reduced the away side to 101-5, on his way to figures of 3-78.
Worcestershire were made to work hard during an arduous afternoon session, as the visitors lower-order combined to frustrate the bowling unit, before Tom Hinley broke the sixth-wicket partnership of 92, with his first wicket of the innings.
The spinner went on to finish with excellent figures of 3-78, cleaning up the tail, as Dan Lategan also took a vital wicket in the process as Worcestershire bowled Essex out for 335 at the close of play on day one.
DAY TWO
Worcestershire began day two in fine style, with youngster Dan Lategan showing more glimpses of his talent, as he and Captain Edavalath went past fifty for the first wicket.
Lategan once again reminded everyone of his abilities at the top of the order with a quickfire 49 from 43 balls, before he fell shy of his fifty after being caught out.
Edavalath (14) and Rob Jones (19) both worked hard to get themselves in, but failed to kick on, whilst Henry Cullen settled into proceedings and exhibited some gorgeous stroke play.
Fin Goodman (9) came and went, but Cullen continued, taking his side towards the 150 mark, raising his bat for a half-century of his own. Joe Harrison, another Academy prospect, stepping up to play in the senior side, joined Cullen as he went through the gears in impressive style, leading Worcestershire above 200 in the 40th over, before Harrison fell for an eye-catching 33, with nobody prepared for what was to follow.
In a surreal few hours, Cullen and Ben Gibbon combined in quite ruthless fashion, racking up 268 for the sixth-wicket in a spellbinding partnership that lasted just past 50 overs, shellacking the Essex bowlers in dismissive fashion.
Henry Cullen & Ben Gibbon’s 6th wicket partnership of 268 now sits as the highest 6th wicket partnership for Worcestershire in the 2nd XI Championship, breaking the previous high of 199, recorded by Henry Nicholls and Ben Allison in the last 2nd XI fixture against Lancashire, at Southport.
Cullen, made his way to 100 from 111 balls to reach his first milestone, requiring just 60 more deliveries before raising his bat once more at 150, and needing only 49 more deliveries to bring up a sensational double-hundred from 220 balls all told.
With the Essex bowlers toiling away, desperately trying to contain the now rampant keeper-batter, Gibbon joined in on the action, making his way to 99 not-out in the meantime.
By the time Cullen was eventually stumped after he danced down the pitch and narrowly missed a turning ball, his five-and-a-half-hour stint at the crease had yielded 31-fours and one solitary six, resulting in an exquisite knock of 221.
Gibbon was able to secure his maiden ton in any form of cricket shortly after Cullen had departed, with Worcestershire eventually closing out one of the most dominant display’s in recent memory, ending the day 492-6, obtaining a healthy lead of 157 in the process.
DAY THREE
Ben Gibbon picked up where he left off, despite losing partner Tom Hinley for 16 early on, as he and Henry Hawes came together for another remarkable lower order stand of 95.
Hawes played nicely for his 44, as Gibbon went past his own 150 milestone, as Worcestershire’s lead ticked past an impressive 250. Gibbon was eventually dismissed with his side on 625, having recorded his highest-ever score of 177, coming from 245 balls and including 22 boundaries in all.
When Yadvinder Singh was the last man-out, Worcestershire’s total read an eyebrow raising 633, with a bumper lead of 298.
A long way behind in the contest, Essex were in need of some batting stability and made their way past 50 without a blemish.
Harry Darley made the first breakthrough for his side, before Ramon Bailey (3-17) opened his account to peg the visitors back.
The Essex middle-order then fell away, as the Worcestershire bowlers came back with a bang to reduce their opponents to 121-6, in a spell that saw the visitors lose four wickets for 21 runs.
Ben Gibbon (3-70) picked up two big wickets in a fine spell, while Bailey picked up two more for himself with a caught behind and an LBW.
With the result almost a foregone conclusion by this point, Yadvinder Singh and Harry Darley (2-28) combined to put Essex out of the contest, before Gibbon returned to collect his third and Tom Hinley wrapped things up to see Essex bowled out for 207 and provide Worcestershire with a handsome innings and 91-run victory inside three days.
