A rain enforced finish at Visit Worcestershire New Road on Day Four saw Worcestershire salvage some priceless points in their bid for County Championship Division One survival.
After falling behind on Day Three, Worcestershire entered the final day knowing that they would need a batting miracle, faced with a mammoth 270 to win.
Things looked ominous midway through the day’s play when the hosts found themselves 87-6, as Warwickshire’s bowlers looked to be driving their side towards a comprehensive victory.
A stubborn fightback from Ethan Brookes (34) and Matthew Waite (44*), however gave the hosts a fighting chance, with Waite batting on until the players were brought off for rain midway through the afternoon and the match was called to a premature end.
After navigating an evening session fraught with danger the night prior, Gareth Roderick and Kashif Ali resumed with their sights set on kickstarting the morning’s run-chase with positive intent.
Those hopes were soon dashed, as Roderick was the first victim of the day, given out LBW to a full ball from Rushworth, for a very well made 37.
Ali, was the in and set batter, who would resume the home side’s chase, with his team four wickets down and in need of stability.
The very next ball after Roderick had departed, Ali (17 off 64) was on his way also, as he edged a length delivery from the evergreen Chris Woakes to Beau Webster at slip.
With the home side reduced to 63-4, and the Warwickshire seam brigade not giving an inch, hopes of a memorable County Championship win were fading fast.
In gloomy skies, the conditions favoured the bowling side, and with over 250 runs still required when Rob Jones strode out from the Graeme Hick Pavilion, the odds on a Worcestershire victory were lengthening by the minute.
When D’Oliveira (3) became Rushworth’s third scalp of the innings, and Jones (10) fell a few overs later to Ed Barnard, Worcestershire found themselves 87-6 and in deep trouble.
This brought Ethan Brookes together with Matthew Waite, as the pair set about resurrecting the Worcetershire innings.
In typical Brookes fashion, he exhibited excellent stroke play, piercing the infield with some beautifully timed drives back past the bowlers.
Waite, in similar fashion, showed he too was not going to be giving up his wicket without a fight, playing resolutely in defence and capitalising whenever opportunity arose.
As play approached lunch, the longest period of the innings without a wicket ensued, as the pair added 61 for the seventh wicket.
At 148-7, it was the spritely Ethan Bamber, who drew the resilient partnership to a close, when he got one to stay low and snipe Brookes’ middle stump, as his eye-catching knock of 34 from 50 balls came to end.
MATCH SCORECARD
With the covers on over the lunch break and the forecast suggesting rain was imminent, conditions made an already difficult task that much harder for the hosts.
Rain held off however, and play resumed as per the schedule, with the breeze and cloud rolling onto the field as the players re-emerged.
Waite, dug in alongside partner, Ben Allison, as they attempted to make a dent in the remaining 168 runs required for victory.
Inevitably the pressure soon told, as the metronomic lines of Woakes soon proved too good for the tailender, as another of his deliveries snagged his outside edge and flew through to stand-in keeper Kai Smith, sending Allison on his way for five, subsequently leaving Worcestershire 181-8.
Waite continued about his business, carrying the last genuine hope for his side, it was he and Tom Taylor who batted on until 2:27pm, when the skies darkened and the heavens opened, with both sides leaving the field in contrasting spirits as Worcestershire trailed by 148 runs and Warwickshire still two wickets short of victory.
The home team, not for the first time this year, had an admirable lower order repost from Brookes and Waite (44*), to thank for throwing them a lifeline when the game looked lost, and defeat appeared the inevitable outcome.
With the rain proving to be terminal, the umpires came together at 5:50pm and eventually shook hands with the respective captains, bringing an official end to proceedings, as the spoils were shared and the Pears walked away with 11 priceless points.
After a challenging start to the red ball campaign, Worcestershire still find themselves in some peril at the foot of the Division One table but can take some positives from the recent two matches as they travel to Old Trafford on Thursday to kick-off their T20 Blast campaign
