Skipper Zain Ul-Hassan scored an unbeaten century as Worcestershire Under-17s wound up their ECB County Championship programme in style with a five wicket win over Devon Under-17s at Sandford.
The visitors turned around a first innings deficit of 125 in bowling out Devon for 115 on the third morning after they had resumed on 29-2.
That left Worcestershire a 241 target and Ul-Hassan led by example and, with support from Xavie Clarke and Riecko Parker-Cole, saw them over the finishing line.
Victory lifted them off the bottom of the group and they finished fourth in the five-team table ahead of Hampshire.
It was no more than Worcestershire deserved for their overall efforts in the competition.
Ul-Hassan, who had also hit 72 in the second innings of the previous Championship game versus Gloucestershire, struck one six and 13 fours in his 146 ball knock of exactly 100.
He was the third Worcestershire player to score a century in this season’s competition after Clarke and Dan Holland.
Parker-Cole and Matt Davis had each taken a wicket with the new ball on the second evening and repeated the performance to reduce Devon to 42-4.
Wickets continued to fall at regular intervals with Ed Bragg wrapping up the lower order. He finished with 3-20 after the earlier fine efforts of Parker-Cole (3-35) and Davis (2-19)
Worcestershire lost openers Holland and Callum Lea for 17 and 22 respectively to leave their side at 61-2.
But then Clarke and Ul-Hassan added 67 for the third wicket.
Clarke scored freely in making 58 off 60 balls with one six and 10 fours before he was third out at 128.
Two more wickets fell in quick succession before Ul-Hassan and Parker-Cole (35 not out) joined forces for the decisive unbroken stand of 97.
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DEVON UNDER-17S – SECOND INNINGS CONTINUED
(overnight 29-2)
Sapiecha b Parker-Cole 16
Khan c Hardwick b Davis 10
Moore not out 33
Onley-Gregson c Hardwick b H. Marshall 37
Taylor b Parker-Cole 0
Adams c Clarke b Bragg 1
Medlock c Hardwick b Bragg 0
Middleton b Bragg 0
Simmons b Ul-Hassan 1
Extras 10
Total (all out) 115 in 38 overs
FOW CONTINUED: 29, 42, 58, 68, 68, 78, 89, 115
—
BOWLING
Parker-Cole 12-3-35-3
Davis 9-4-19-2
Bragg 8-4-20-3
Ul-Hassan 7-2-19-1
Tomson 1-0-13-0
H. Marshall 1-0-9-1
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WORCESTERSHIRE UNDER-17S – SECOND INNINGS
Lea c Woodcock b Middleton 22
Holland lbw Read 17
Clarke c Taylor b Adams 58
Ul-Hassan not out 100
Hinkley c Onley-Gregson b Medlock 8
Clark b Moore 0
Parker-Cole not out 35
Extras 4
Total (for 5 wickets) 244 in 70.2 overs
FOW: 33, 61, 128, 146, 147
—
BOWLING
Simmons 6-2-11-0
Moore 12-6-20-1
Adams 11-1-32-1
Medlock 8-2-22-1
Read 15.2-1-67-1
Middleton 15-2-59-1
Woodcock 3-0-30-0
