With Friday’s salivating clash against Warwickshire Bears rapidly honing into view, we are taking a look back at one of the most memorable moments from the Pears v Bears in recent memory.
During the 2024 Vitality Blast clash at Edgbaston, Worcestershire’s Matthew Waite produced a heroic individual cameo with both bat and ball to steer his side to a thrilling victory.
Having won the toss in a rain-reduced 17-over aside game, skipper Adam Hose elected to bat first, but the dismissal of Ed Pollock with just the second ball of the match put the Bears on the front foot.
Josh Cobb (24 off 16) and Kashif Ali came together to add 56 for the second wicket, before Cobb’s wicket on the stroke of the powerplay saw the Rapids 56-2 after six overs.
A young Ethan Brookes joined Kashif, who was going along like a rocket, smashing four fours and three sixes in his 30-ball-innings that added 46, as the visitors made progress just past the halfway mark.
Gareth Roderick came and went, with the Worcestershire innings threatening to run out of steam at 96-5, before Nathan Smith joined Brookes and the pair clicked into gear, racing to a crucial fifty partnership in just 4.4. overs.
Smith biffed 33 off 16 balls to give the away side some crucial momentum, and at 148-6 with 10 balls in the innings remaining, 160 looked a competitive total.
Waite however, had other ideas…
The Rapids’ man went berserk, sending balls to all parts of the ground in a brutal cameo of 36 from just eight deliveries, at a barely believable strike rate of 450!
Waite’s assault of five sixes and a four launched the Rapids up to 187-6 after their 20 overs, with his best work of the night arguably still to come…
At 3-2, the Bears were under pressure from the outset, losing Alex Davies to Tom Taylor’s first ball of the innings, before Josh Cobb snared Rob Yates in the second over of the innings.
Waite’s exceptional evening out at Edgbaston continued, as he proceeded to return T20 best figures of 4-29 from 3.2 overs in a spell binding display.
Castling both Sam Hain (14) and former Pear Moeen Ali for 18, Waite set the match up for a tense finish with the Bears 100-5 in the 11th over of their chase.
Whilst Tom Taylor (3-31) ripped through the Bears batting card, Waite returned at the death to put the game beyond reach, bowling George Garton and trapping Jake Lintott LBW as the Bears were bowled out for 132.
With Matthew and his teammates back in Blast action this week, there are plenty more of chances to watch the Rapids in action this summer at New Road, and you can grab your tickets for our remaining home Blast matches below!
Limited tickets are available for home matches against:
Glamorgan – Friday 5th June
Kent Spitfires – Friday 3rd July
Gloucestershire – Friday 10th July
VITALITY T20 BLAST TICKETS
