Ben Allison claimed figures of 3-25 on his return from injury as Worcestershire 2nd XI opened their account for 2026 with a comprehensive 38-run win over Glamorgan in the 2nd XI Central T20 group at Ombersley.
Batting first, Worcestershire compiled an impressive 180-8, spearheaded by opening pair Henry Cullen and Isaac Mohammed’s 61-run opening stand.
Making his first competitive appearance of the summer, Allison bowled with pace and variation, taking three wickets as he helped dismiss Glamorgan for 142.
Young stars Cullen and Isaac wasted no time in setting their stall out inside the powerplay, with the exciting duo finding the boundary at ease in an explosive fifty partnership despite having been invited to bat by Glamorgan.
Isaac (28 from 18) laced the ball through the off side with disdain, whilst partner Cullen latched onto anything short, pulling the ball over the midwicket boundary twice in the early exchanges.
Isaac departed after his attempt to go big over extra cover could only find the fielder on the ring, but Cullen continued, making his way to a rapid 43 off just 28 balls.
Cullen fell with his side racing towards 100, but not without the loss of Rob Jones (16) and skipper Rehaan Edavalath (7).
Trialists Lees and Reddy came together in a middle-order partnership worth 44 in just four overs, as Worcestershire reasserted their charge towards 200.
Lees (23 off 18) and Reddy (38 off 21) both made the most of their opportunity in Rapids colours, with a final flourish from lower-order batter Ben Gibbon (17 off 8) seeing the paceman launch three boundaries in the final forays of the innings as the Rapids set their opponents 181 to win.
The response with the ball will have delighted Head Coach Alexei Kervezee, as the hosts ripped through the Glamorgan top-order to restrict the visitors to 15-3.
It was seamer Allison, making his first competitive appearance of the summer, who dominated the opening exchanges, accounting for two of the Welsh side’s top three.
This included the key wicket of Glamorgan regular Eddie Byrom, whom Allison dismissed with his first ball, when Cullen took a straightforward catch behind after the left-hander feathered an edge through to the grateful gloveman.
Spin dominated the middle overs, with skipper Edavalath utilising the part-time off-break of Isaac (1-26) to great effect.
With the visitors behind the rate and losing wickets in clusters, the odds were firmly in favour of the home side as the Rapids reduced their opponents to 94-5 at the halfway stage.
The captain brought himself on and helped himself to a brace of wickets in an economical two-over spell where he collected 2-9.
Ben Gibbon re-entered the attack late on and collected his first wicket of the match when the left-armer broke Glamorgan’s eighth-wicket partnership, with the visitors on the brink, needing 73 runs from the last three overs.
By the time the final ball was bowled, Worcestershire had sealed a convincing victory by 38 runs, starting their 2026 white-ball campaign in style.
Clips & Scorecard
