As far as Friday nights go, for Worcestershire fans, last week would rank pretty highly.
A sold-out New Road, derby day with the noisy neighbours and a picturesque summer’s evening in front of the bright lights of the TV cameras.
Oh, and the bragging rights were reclaimed…
In a Vitality Blast T20 classic, the Rapids roared home, marching to a six-wicket win in comprehensive fashion that sealed a first win over the Bears at New Road since June 2022 and saw Alan Richardson’s side reclaim the coveted Norman Gifford trophy.
Contested between the sides during each T20 fixture, Friday’s Blast encounter was the first time the two teams were competing for the trophy since Norman’s passing in January of this year.
A County Championship-winning captain in 1974, Norman enjoyed an illustrious playing career that saw him win his first title for the Pears in 1964, where he went on to represent his country 17 times, including 15 Test Matches and two One Day Internationals.
Norman represented Worcestershire with distinction for 22 years, between 1960 and 1982, during which the famed spinner took a remarkable 1,615 first-class wickets.
Named one of five ‘Wisden Cricketers of the Year’ in 1975, he was honoured in 1978, when he was awarded an MBE for his services to cricket.
After his time as a player at New Road, Norman went on to represent Warwickshire for five years between 1983 and 1988, with both Clubs marking his legacy through a trophy.
On Friday, it was his beloved Worcestershire who regained the trophy, in a match that lived up to its potential.
Tom Taylor’s fireworks followed the pre-match pyrotechnics as he uprooted Alex Davies’s stump with the first ball of the match, before Mathew Waite’s acrobatic fielding left Beau Webster bewildered at the same end as the non-striking Rob Yates, as the Rapids took an early grip on proceedings.
From 15-2, the home side took control.
On a frenzied night where the atmosphere in the stands and around the ground turned somewhat partisan, the clinical and calm performance of Brett D’Oliveira’s side in the field oozed composure.
Disciplined and measured middle over spells from spin twins Usama Mir and Sikandar Raza continued to peg the visitors back, with Adam Finch’s wicket of Jordan Thompson proving crucial later in the piece.
Looking like a different side to the one who had gone down heavily at home five days prior, there was a renewed sense of confidence about the Rapids as Tom Taylor returned to complete his man of the match figures of 2-17, before Waite completed the polished performance with two wickets in his final over.
The pursuit of 142 was eagerly anticipated by a bumper crowd inside New Road, where D’Oliveira’s explosive start saw the Rapids out of the blocks the quickest.
When Kashif Ali arrived at 44-1, the hosts were up with the rate and in control, with cameos from Isaac (27) and Hose (23) putting Worcestershire in cruise control.
Hopes of a first win over the Bears since 2024 began to turn to belief as Kashif took a liking to the offerings from Chris Woakes, Jordan Thompson and the returning Olly Hannon-Dalby, with a buoyant home crowd hitting fever pitch.
Playing the leading hand, Kashif top scored with 36, plundering two balls into the stands on the legside after a pivotal partnership with Adam Hose that added 47, slashing the Rapids odds on victory.
It was the penultimate ball of the 19th over when Raza eased a single through midwicket to confirm a comprehensive six-wicket win, queuing the scenes of unbridled joy from a delirious home crowd who had more than played their part in a memorable performance against Worcestershire’s nearest and dearest.
And so, the Blast campaign is back on track, with the newly crowned holders of the Norman Gifford trophy set to square off against Glamorgan this Friday, before trips to Gloucestershire and Northants Steelbacks follow.
The trophy will take pride of place at New Road for the time being, until the 26th of June at least, when the sides will meet again at Edgbaston and battle it out for T20 honours once more…
