There is no denying, life in Division One has been far from plain sailing for Worcestershire so far this campaign, particularly for the Pears’ batting unit.
After a chastening defeat at home to Surrey a week prior, the Pears travelled to the Utilita Bowl to face Hampshire, knowing runs on the board was essential if there were to be any chances of securing a second Division One win of the season.
What followed, having won the toss and choosing to bat, was a record-shattering performance from Worcestershire’s number four, who struck a majestic 266, as he and Skipper Jake Libby added an eye-watering 395 for the third wicket whilst guiding their side to 456-3 at stumps.
Hose, who needed just 253 balls to accumulate his runs, said the feeling was up there with one of his best.
“It is pretty awesome to be honest, I think that is a great day. You know, we had a tough couple of weeks, tough couple of months from a from a group’s perspective, and a batting perspective.
“So to have a big partnership like that with Jake and put on some runs was a really satisfying feeling.
“I think I knew fairly early on that it felt like a really nice batting surface, so I just wanted to be nice and clinical, I guess.”
Coming into the match with a season high-score of 82 and an average of 42, the Worcestershire batter, like the rest of his teammates has found the going tough against the country’s best bowling attacks in the Rothesay County Championship.
His maiden first-class double-hundred saw him claim the record for not just the highest ever score by a visiting batter at the Utilita Bowl in first-class cricket, but also Worcestershire’s highest ever score by a number four batter in an innings.
Arguably more impressive than the records, however, was the manner in which Hose went about his business, slamming 31 fours and seven sixes – an area he had set himself to focus on before the clash with Hampshire.
I guess in the past of sort of sometimes I go into my shell, putting a higher price on my wicket, as opposed to today, I just felt like I saw the ball and reacted with my natural instincts, which is to attack. And fortunately, today it worked.
“As we’ve mentioned it has been a tough year, and as a result of that you can go into your shell a little bit.
“You try and protect your wicket. But like I said, as a result of that, you actually end up taking away from your natural game. And I think Kash is naturally quite an aggressive player, as am I, and I think if you lose sight of that you can easily lose sight of playing the game that’s in front of you, and that effectively, as a batsman, is to score runs.
“We had a good chat after the disappointing result last week, we wanted to put that right. And I think from a batting perspective, it was all about our intent. And today, I thought we did that.”
While Libby’s knock, priceless in it’s own right, was a more traditional innings, Hose’s swashbuckling shot selection, that resulted in two-ball changes after he plunged the ball out of the ground, was an exhibition of his supreme natural attacking instincts.
While those inside the Utilita Bowl and all his teammates had the pleasure of watching his innings from start to finish, one man who unfortunately wasn’t in the crowd, was his father.
Deciding to let the game unfold before electing whether or not to attend the match, he may be left to rue his decision, as Hose pressed on to tear the record books apart against the side he left as a teenager.
“My first double-hundred in first class cricket. So it’s cool, you know, it’s been a long time since I left this club as a teenager.
“It was a really nice day to play cricket. It was a good crowd in on a good surface, and with all my teammates up there supporting me, it was always going to be a special day.
“No, he wasn’t, not that I’m aware of. He texted me, but he actually had an offer from from a friend, about coming to the to the game today, and I think he said, I’ll wait and see how the game pans out.
“But he’s probably a bit disappointed about not being there now!”
