Monday, August 26th, 2024

WORCESTERSHIRE CLIMB INTO TOP SIX AFTER RESOUNDING WIN

Worcestershire have climbed into the top six of  Division One of the Vitality County Championship after their excellent eight wicket win over Kent at Visit Worcestershire New Road.

The 23 points moved Worcestershire above Lancashire and Nottinghamshire, who were beaten by Surrey and Durham respectively, and Warwickshire who drew with Somerset.

Victory secured back to back victories after the triumph against Durham at the Seat Unique Riverside in early July and is a massive boost to the County in their quest to cement a spot in the top flight.

Although there is still plenty of hard work ahead, beginning with the meeting with Essex at Chelmsford on Thursday, it is an encouraging sign.

Head Coach Alan Richardson said: “We won’t focus too much on other people’s results but we’ve done as well as we think we can in this particular game.

“Dolly (Brett D’Oliveira) has talked a lot about it being a five-game series starting with the Kent game until the end of the season.

“We are one game in, we’ve put in one good performance and it’s our job now to try and make sure we put in as many good performances as we can to give ourselves the best chance.

“We knew it was going to be tough. We hadn’t played a red ball game for two months so for the boys to stick at it as well as they did against Kent was excellent.”

Worcestershire achieved back-to-back wins in the Championship for the first time since triumphing in a trio of successive games last summer against Leicestershire at Oakham School, Gloucestershire at Cheltenham, and Glamorgan at New Road.

VITALITY COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP DIVISION ONE

Surrey Played 10, Won 7, Lost 1, Drawn 2, No Result 0, Points 180
Somerset 10, 3, 1, 6, 0, 145
Essex 10, 4, 2, 4, 0, 142
Hampshire 10, 3, 1, 5, 1, 134
Durham 10, 3, 2, 4, 1, 126
WORCESTERSHIRE 10, 2, 3, 5, 0, 114
Warwickshire 10, 0, 3, 7, 0, 109
Nottinghamshire 10, 1, 3, 6, 0, 104
Lancashire 10, 2, 4, 4, 0, 103
Kent 10, 1, 6, 3, 0, 69