Brett D’Oliveira’s scintillating 79 off 48 balls sent his team on their way to a first Vitality T20 Blast win of the season, as they swept aside Yorkshire at Visit Worcestershire New Road.
Adam Hose, (54), joined his skipper in finding form as their partnership of 117 propelled the Rapids to 201-5.
The visitors failed to get going in reply, with a middle order collapse leaving Yorkshire, 51-6, a position from which they failed to recover.
Adam Finch (2-19) starred with the ball, as Worcestershire’s excellent performance saw them wrap up a convincing 60-run win by DLS as rain brought a premature end to proceedings.
After losing the toss, Captain Brett D’Oliveira and his unchanged side were put into bat on a mild and breezy afternoon at Visit Worcestershire New Road.
It was the skipper who set the tempo for his side early on, nailing two balls to the square-leg boundary to set his team on the way in the second over.
The Captain was given a reprieve in the next over however, when Dom Bess couldn’t hold onto a sharp return chance off his own bowling, but the visitors had their breakthrough that same over when Ed Pollock mistimed a cut shot off the same bowler and was caught at backward point for 12.
Kashif Ali, was the new man in the middle and picked up where he left off against Lancashire, exhibiting some powerful early ball striking.
The Rapids 50 was brought up in the fifth over, as the hosts looked to build on a fast start, but hopes were soon dashed as Ali (17) was dismissed when his attempt to clear the infield could only find Will Sutherland at mid-on
D’Oliveira, continued to express himself, landing some mighty blows down the ground as he and new partner Adam Hose maintained their side’s bright start as they manoeuvred the field and rotated strike, bringing up their fifty partnership and the Rapid’s 100 in the process.
Hose, continued to play a superb hand alongside his skipper, and was soon congratulating D’Oliveira on reaching his half-century, which the Rapid’s captain did in just 34 balls and included six boundaries.
Yorkshire captain Dawid Malan, continued to change his bowlers on a regular basis, with his bowlers struggling create chances or to keep the two set batters contained as the innings progressed.
Soon after, it was Hose’s turn to raise his bat, as he registered a first fifty of the campaign when he plundered a length ball back into the Basil D’Oliviera stand to the rapturous applause of the Rapids’ supporters.
Heading towards a very healthy score, D’Oliveira’s sensational innings was brought a close as he was caught by Malan, off the bowling of Will Sutherland for an outstanding 79 off 48 balls.
With his side at 168-3, Hose followed his skipper soon after, when he departed for 54, leaving new batters Ben Dwarshuis and Ethan Brookes an ideal platform to launch their side towards a 200-plus score.
In a partnership worth 24, the pair fell just short of the milestone as Brookes, was caught at long-on for nine, but Gareth Roderick joined Dwarshuis for the end of the innings, as the Rapid’s finished on a competitive 201-5.
The Yorkshire pursuit lasted one over before a heavy downpour forced the players from the field.
Upon resumption, the chase stuttered immediately as Malan was bowled by Jacob Duffy in the second over, before Tom Hinley, took a superb boundary catch off an Adam finch delivery to dismiss Will Luxton in the very next over.
At 16-2, in now overcast and greasy conditions, the Rapids were on top, with Lyth, central to any form of Yorkshire repost.
He could only stand and watch however, as the Yorkshire middle order were torn apart, losing three wickets for just three runs in the space of five balls.
A moment of genius in the field from Finch, saw him run-out Wharton, before the bowler got himself back in the action with the ball, having Duke caught at extra cover for two.
Overseas bowler Dwarshuis, changed ends and reaped instant rewards as he had his Australian counterpart Sutherland, caught behind first ball to leave the away side 40-5.
Adam Lyth, made a valiant repost for his side, reaching 38 before his resistance was ended by youngster Ethan Brookes (1-26), who impressed with the ball once again.
Coming together at 51-6, Dom Bess and Matty Revis added 63 for the seventh wicket, as the Worcestershire bowling attack looked for the breakthrough to wrap up a big win.
Jacob Duffy (2-30) returned to break the partnership when he beat Matty Revis (33) with a searing yorker, to all but spell the end for Yorkshire.
When the rain came in with four balls left in the innings, the visitors left the field 135-8 and the Rapids’ win by 60 runs was confirmed via Duckworth Lewis.
