Worcestershire CCC gave their Specsavers County Championship promotion hopes a massive lift as they overcame leaders Nottinghamshire by eight wickets at Trent Bridge before lunch on the final day.
Opener Daryl Mitchell’s superb unbeaten century was the bedrock of the County’s pursuit of a 226 target as he completed 1,000 Championship runs for the campaign.
But Joe Clarke gave him excellent support in an unbroken stand of 106 off 18 overs this morning to continue the good work of George Rhodes and Tom Fell in supporting Mitchell yesterday evening.
Mitchell, who resumed on 63 not out, completed his sixth Championship hundred of the campaign out of 191-2 off 191 balls with 16 fours.
It surpassed his previous best season in terms of hundreds when scoring five in the 2014 promotion season.
Only Surrey’s Kumar Sangakkara has also scored 1,000 Championship runs this summer.
Michell then hurried Worcestershire to victory in double quick time with his next 39 runs taking just 21 deliveries.
He ended unbeaten on 139 from 212 balls with two sixes – both off Samit Patel – and 21 fours while Clarke finished on 28 not out from 45 balls with five boundaries.
The win sealed Worcestershire’s first Championship win at Trent Bridge since 2000 and the first over Nottinghamshire in the competition since 2011 at New Road.
There have been other superb individual performances to bring about the win with the bowling of skipper Joe Leach, Ed Barnard and Josh Tongue and the first innings batting of Ben Cox, Barnard and Leach in rescuing Worcestershire from 89-6.
Worcestershire had resumed on 123-2 with still work to do against a top quality attack in still helpful conditions for bowlers.
But Mitchell and Clarke made short work of knocking off the remaining runs needed to cement Worcestershire’s position in second spot.
Mitchell steered Steve Mullaney away to the third man region to reach three figures before moving into overdrive.
