Worcestershire’s middle order pair of Brett D’Oliveira and Gareth Roderick enjoyed a dominant 170 run-stand as they batted through the large part of the second day at Durham to see Worcestershire close on 320-5.
Roderick (95*) and D’Oliveira (84) batted with guise as they showed all their experience to dominate the Durham bowlers throughout the second-half of day two.
Youngster Rehaan Edavalath produced a career-best first class score of 61 at the top of the order to set the foundations for the visitors, battling through some challenging overheads and disciplined bowling in the process.
Dan Lategan (44) caught the eye once again, but fell within four overs of Edavalath to leave the Pears 139-4, but a composed middle-order repost guided the away side through the day in effortless fashion, as they reached stumps in the driving seat.
Despite no rain being present at Banks Home Riverside on Tuesday morning, the heavy cloud cover lingered over the captains at the toss, where Brett D’Oliveira was unsurprisingly invited to bat first having lost the toss and announcing the only that saw Ben Gibbon come in for the rested Khurram Shahzad.
A cautious start from openers Jake Libby and Rehaan Edavalath saw off the initial inquest in challenging conditions from a Durham seam attack featuring Matthew Potts, although the earlier reports suggesting Mark Wood and Ben Stokes would be returning to red ball cricket did not come to fruition.
Edavalath steadied, in spite of the unfortunate loss of his opening partner, as Libby perished for 14 having strangled a loose ball down the legside to see himself caught behind with the Pears 25-1.
Kashif Ali’s cameo lasted 14 deliveries whilst he made 10, before Dan Lategan entered the fray on his second first-class appearance for Worcestershire, helping steer the visitors past 50 in the 20th over of the match.
Whist Edavalath played with caution, Lategan showed his confidence by striding to the crease and taking the attack to the hosts, as some fearless stroke play and irresistible driving helped Worcestershire stabilise.
With a slightly elongated session due to the loss of overs on day one, the pair were able to enjoy an extended session in the middle as the Pears had two of their youngest and brightest stars to thank as the ended the match’s opening session 107-2.
Lategan continued to impress, but it was Edavalath who registered his maiden first-class half-century shortly after the resumption, showing maturity beyond his years and playing his part in a crucial third wicket stand that was now worth over 100.
The picture changed in just four overs upon the resumption however, when Lategan departed just six runs short of a well-deserved fifty when he was trapped LBW off the bowling of Ben Raine, before the in and set Rehaan Edavalath was run-out in unfortunate circumstances for an impressive 61, after a mix up with new man D’Oliveira.
The early afternoon wobble was firmly put to bed by the new pair however, as the in-form Gareth Roderick joined his captain and together went on to add (score) for the fifth wicket in an authoritative afternoon session for the visitors where no chances were offered up by either batter, guiding their side to Tea 202-4, with both D’Oliveira and Roderick 34*.
Roderick, enjoying his new role having been shifted down the order to number six, made his way to a fluent fifty from just 88 balls in the early stages of the evening session, passing 4,000 runs for the club in the process, before D’Oliveira registered his second Rothesay County Championship fifty of the season a short while after his partner had raised his bat in celebration of the same milestone.
The pair demonstrated the perfect batting tempo, rotating the strike at will whilst piercing the infield and finding the boundary frequently enough to refute any sort of pressure from the home side.
With a batting point secured and 300 now honing into view, D’Oliveira played a beautiful shot through the offside for four, while Roderick continued to attack as he whipped a Will Rhodes ball through the legide for four.
There was a late twist as Conners sent D’Oliveira’s off-stump flying for an excellent 84, but it was Worcestershire’s day as they got to 320 for five at close.
