After four gripping days at Visit Worcestershire New Road, Worcestershire’s Rothesay County Championship clash with Hampshire ended in a draw, but it was far from a lifeless affair. In a game full of momentum swings, Head Coach Alan Richardson admitted to “mixed feelings” as his side walked away with a share of the points after a spirited, if ultimately unfulfilled, final-day chase.
“I’m really proud of how the boys applied themselves today,” Richardson said. “It was a steep ask, but we wanted to take the game deep and give ourselves a chance going into the last 20 overs. We just needed one more partnership.”
That chance came courtesy of a declaration from Hampshire, who set Worcestershire 358 to win in just 53 overs. The chase was bold, energetic, and at times nervy. A calculated gamble that flirted with success before the hosts closed on 303 for 8, just 55 runs short.
While the final day drew praise for its ambition and effort, Richardson pointed to day three as the moment where the game slipped away.
“We had a poor day yesterday, no doubt,” he admitted. “We went from being in control to falling behind. We didn’t react well when we were 40 behind. We let them get off to a flyer, and that really hurt us.”
Despite early parity, Hampshire took advantage of what Richardson described as “a lack of pressure in the field,” turning a 40-run lead into a match-shaping declaration. “That gave them the right to dictate the tempo,” he said. “We were chasing the game from there.”
One constant in the see-sawing contest was Jake Libby. The skipper produced twin centuries, his second-innings ton coming at a near run-a-ball pace, to take his tally to 440 runs against Hampshire this season alone.
“He goes about his business so well,” said Richardson. “He’s worked incredibly hard on his game and knows it inside out. To score twin hundreds on a pitch where scoring hasn’t always been easy is testament to the level he’s playing at.”
Libby’s 110 on the final day laid the foundation for Worcestershire’s chase and offered genuine hope until his dismissal sparked a late wobble.
There was also time to reflect on the continued emergence of Tom Taylor, who remains the leading wicket-taker in Division One.
“We always felt there’d be a shift in role for Tommy when he came here, opening the bowling,” Richardson said. “He’s been efficient all season and thoroughly deserves his reward.”
Taylor’s performances have become a pillar of the Pears’ attack this season, and his consistency has been a welcome boost in a transitional period.
With three Championship games left, for Richardson, the frustration is not in effort but execution.
“We’ve had chances to win both of our last two games,” he said. “But we didn’t quite do enough across the full four days to say we fully deserved it.”
That’s the focus now, consistency across the whole match. “We need to put three really good performances together. If we do that, who knows what might happen.”
Attention now turns to the Metro Bank One Day Cup, with squad rotation likely. Richardson suggested a few players carrying “tough niggles” may get rest, with chances handed to fringe and younger squad members.
“Last year we were scrambling around with injuries,” he said with a wry smile. “This year we’ve got a cleaner bill of health, so we’ll look to rotate sensibly. The seamers have put in a huge shift.”
Despite the schedule, Richardson stressed that the white-ball campaign is not just a sideshow. “We want to compete. We’ve done well in the 50-over format recently, and there’s a chance to play in front of some good crowds here.”
