A swift start with the ball and solid work with the bat saw Worcestershire put themselves in position to drive towards victory against Gloucestershire in this closely fought Rothesay County Championship fixture.
The day started with a fired-up Worcestershire removing the final three Gloucestershire wickets for just 21 runs as Beyers Swanepoel picked up impressive figures of 5-65.
Opening pair Jake Libby and Dan Lategan started well with the bat, guiding their side to 52 for no loss at lunch, capping a satisfying morning.
Worcestershire lost three quick wickets in the afternoon, with Libby, Lategan and Roderick all falling before Adam Hose (52) and Captain Brett D’Oliveira (52) regained momentum with a 98-run partnership, helping their side to 210-5 at the close.
After losing the toss and being asked to bowl first on Day One, Worcestershire had their opponents 268-7, thanks to late wickets last night from Beyers Swanepoel and Ben Allison.
Returning to the crease for Gloucestershire were the impressive Miles Hammond (128*), who’d batted patiently for his hundred and Daaryoush Ahmed (11*). It didn’t take long for the Pears to get going as Tom Taylor trapped Ahmed (14) LBW with a big inswinger at the start of the day’s third over.
With the energy high in the field, Worcestershire continued to apply pressure, and after almost chopping on to Taylor in the previous over, Will Williams (4) fell LBW to Beyers Swanepoel, giving the impressive South African his fourth wicket of the innings.
It wasn’t long until Swanepoel (24-3-65-5) was celebrating again as he removed Luke Charlesworth (12) to claim his first five-wicket haul as a Pear, and the 13th of his career, leaving Gloucestershire all out for 289, having added just 21 runs to their overnight score.
It was the familiar opening pair of Jake Libby and Dan Lategan who strode out to begin Worcestershire’s reply, with the former getting things going with two perfectly placed drives for four in just the second over.
Easing into their work, the openers showed patience and picked their moments to score, leading Gloucestershire to turn to the spin of Van Buuren after just 11 overs. And it was off his bowling that Lategan brought up his side’s 50 with a cultured reverse sweep to backward point for four, capping a perfect morning session for the Pears.
Apart from an early textbook straight drive back down the ground from Lategan, it was a quiet opening 20 minutes of the afternoon session as both batters looked to set themselves. That changed as Will Williams, bowling from the Diglis End, trapped Lategan (33) LBW, ending a positive 65-run opening partnership. Libby (29) went shortly after, becoming Williams’ second victim with another LBW.
The dismissals brought Gareth Roderick and Adam Hose to the crease, looking to steady the innings and regain the momentum their side had before the break. With Gloucestershire wicket keeper James Bracey up to the stumps, Daaryoush Ahmed continued to probe and make runs difficult, before forcing Roderick (7) to chop on to leave Worcestershire 87-3.
It was captain Brett D’Oliveira who brought up his side’s 100th run in the 39th over, and despite Hose hitting Van Buuren over his head for six, the pair treaded carefully to reach an unbeaten partnership of 39 at tea to give themselves a platform for the evening session.
Returning to the middle on 126/3, the pair quickly hit the 50-run partnership milestone in the 56th over of the innings as D’Oliveira flicked one of his hips for a single before Hose took his team past 150 with a plundering drive for four off the bowling of Ahmed. Hose (52) continued to look comfortable and reached a well-deserved 50 but was undone just two overs later when he was bowled by a Charlesworth’s delivery that kept low.
Departing just two runs short of a 100-run partnership with his Captain, Hose was replaced at the crease by Ethan Brooks, who got off the mark with a well-timed flick off the pads, which raced off for four.
D’Oliveira (52) was the second Worcestershire batter to hit 50, notching yet another half-century from 135 balls. Having batted with his customary composure, he was dismissed when he nicked a Van Burren delivery to Cameron Bancroft at slip shortly before the close.
Worcestershire ended the day on 210-5, 79 runs behind. In what’s turning out to be a closely fought fixture, a whole team effort has given Worcestershire the chance to build on their position and set up victory in the remaining two days.
