Beyers Swanepoel said his side has every chance to take victory in their tightly contested Rothesay County Championship fixture against Gloucestershire.
Swanepoel led his side’s high-energy start to the day, taking two of the final three wickets as his side wrapped up the Gloucestershire innings for just 21 runs.
Jake Libby & Dan Lategan got their team’s response off to the perfect start, heading into lunch at 52-0. Slipping to 87-3, a crucial partnership from Adam Hose & Brett D’Oliveira, who both hit half-centuries, got the Pears back on track and helped them finish the day 210/5.
Speaking of his inspired spell at the start of the day, Swanepoel said sticking to the plan was the key.
“It’s been a while since I’ve taken a fifer, so I feel very blessed; it’s something that’s always welcome. I just stuck to my line and length, and the new ball did a bit too. It’s a slow wicket, making it tough to score, so you just have to keep going, and you’ll be rewarded.
The bowling group had a chat with Jonesy (Richard Jones), and he said the top of off is the right way to go on this wicket, and the plan paid off.”
Going into Day Three with five wickets in hand, Swanepoel thinks the game is there for Worcestershire to win.
“We want to push it as much as possible. Obviously, we don’t want to take too much time out of the game, but we still have batters left who can contribute and help us get into a lead. We then just need to concentrate and bowl well in the second innings.”
Having seen the game play out, he highlighted partnerships as key to winning the game.
“I think now we’ve seen both teams bat & bowl, it’s hard to score, but I think going into Day Three we’ve got the upper hand.
“Hosey and Dolly’s partnership got us back in the game. We need to build partnerships to get a lead.
I think if you’re having some good partnerships and getting bowlers into their third or fourth spells, it can make it really hard for them.”
Beyers, who experienced a turbulent time when he first arrived at New Road, reserved praise for the Club for how they supported him through a tough start, which has helped him hit his stride.
“The start of the season wasn’t ideal, and it was tough on me, personally, from a cricket point of view. Everyone at the Club has looked after me and invested in me, always asking how I’m doing, and now I’m able to play and enjoy cricket, I’m looking forward to the rest of the season.”
