Wonderful Waite Spell Secures Worcestershire Comprehensive win over Essex

Matthew Waite’s career best figures propelled Worcestershire to a rampant three-day victory over Essex in the Rothesay County Championship.

The home side rallied to 134 all out at Visit Worcestershire New Road, with Ethan Brookes’ valuable 38, the standout knock, setting Essex 336 to win the game.

The visiting side were blown away as figures of 6-19 from Waite, did the bulk of the damage as the away side fell away to a 225-run defeat.

Worcestershire’s crucial victory keeps them in touch of the sides around them as the scrap in the bottom-half of Division One continues.

Resuming Day Three on 58-5, the hosts began the day looking to add to their overnight lead of 259.

After the flurry of late wickets the evening prior, the Pears had time on their side and the sun on their back as Rob Jones and Yadvinder Singh headed out to the middle looking to settle in against an enthused Essex attack.

Unfortunately, any hopes of a straightforward start were dashed almost immediately, when Jones was pinned LBW off an in-swinging Shane Santer delivery for 19.

Exactly six balls later, Brett D’Oliveira was following Jones into the pavilion, for just four, as his attempted reverse-sweep off a Simon Harmer ball found its way to the diving Kasun Rajitha at backward point.

With every additional run stretching out the Worcestershire lead in the match, the home supporters were looking for a modicum of control when Ethan Brookes came to join Singh in the middle in the 37^th over of the innings.

Harmer however, had his say, as Essex’s most prolific threat picked up his fourth wicket of the innings, after a mistimed pull shot from Singh left him exposed LBW for seven, leaving the hosts 80-8.

Ethan Brookes battled through a nasty blow on the arm, as he and his partner Matthew Waite began to score more freely, taking the score past three-figures in the process.

After batting studiously for his eight off 54 deliveries, Waite departed when he was caught behind low-down off a Jamie Porter delivery, leaving his side 125-9.

The impressive Brookes cameo continued however, as he took a liking to any width on offer, sending numerous deliveries to the boundary as the exciting youngster highlighted once again his credentials with the bat.

Having reached 38 from his 70 deliveries, he was last man out to the bowling of the ever-threatening Porter, concluding the Worcestershire innings at 134, setting the visitors 336 to win the match.

Essex’s chase fell apart almost instantly as they lost five top order wickets for the loss of just 47 runs.

Charlie Allison and Noah Thain shared the highest score with 23, but on a dismal Essex card, only two other batters could muster double-figures as they were bundled out for a measly 110.

Dean Elgar was the first to go for just nine, as he feathered an edge through to keeper Gareth Roderick off a rising Ben Allison ball.

Just one run separated the wicket of Elgar and his opening partner Allison, when the impressive Waite accounted for his wicket in the same fashion.

Tom Westley’s struggles continued when he was pinned in front by a nip-backer from Singh, and the Worcestershire bowlers tightened their grip further on the contest when Waite extended his fine form to remove Robin Das, who had failed to trouble the scorers for a ten-ball duck.

Picking up where they left off from their dominant Day Two display with the ball, the Worcestershire seamers were making things happen at regular intervals, much to the delight of the New Road faithful.

With every delivery that passed, the sense of anticipation radiated from the middle, so when Waite bagged his sixth-wicket of the match, the away side were left spiralling towards a heavy defeat, with Michael Pepper accounted for at 47-5.

Only two-overs into his spell, a loose Matt Critchley drive opened the door for Brookes to sneak through and grab a faint edge on the way through to the gloves of Roderick, with a delivery that jagged back enough to secure keeper Roderick one of his record-equalling nine catches of the match.

As Waite continued to pump his legs and beat the bat from the Diglis End, the questions shifted from whether Worcestershire could win the game, to how long it would take the Pears to complete the job and secure their first win of the season.

Charging in, Waite’s relentless efforts were rewarded as he took three further wickets to lead his side to victory and return career best figures of 10.5-7-19-6.

The right arm seamer first had Snater caught at third-slip by the reliable Brookes, then dismissed Harmer leg-before, and wrapped things up in style when he castled Jamie Porter’s middle stump to bring the curtain down on Worcestershire’s most complete performance of the season so far.

The crucial victory for Worcestershire closes the gap on the rest of the pack around them at the basement of the Division One table, with the mood positively reinvigorated around Visit Worcestershire New Road ahead of Friday’s clash with Warwickshire.