Brett D’Oliveira rescues promotion-chasing Worcestershire
Worcestershire 265 for 7 (Waite 64, Roderick 53, D’Oliveira 53*) vs Gloucestershire
Brett D’Oliveira rode to promotion-chasing Worcestershire’s rescue on the opening day of the LV County Championship Second Division match towards neighbours Gloucestershire at Cheltenham.
Seeking to leapfrog Sussex and transfer into second place within the desk, Worcestershire have been diminished to 182 for 7 by a Gloucestershire seam assault that acquitted themselves effectively to provide hope to an expectant Festival crowd.
Zaman Akhter and Matt Taylor claimed 3 for 61 and a couple of for 65 respectively and Worcestershire have been in peril of under-achieving badly when their captain stopped the rot, scoring a dogged 53 not out from 103 balls and staging an stubborn unbroken partnership of 83 with Josh Baker, who was unbeaten of 40 when rain moved in to convey a untimely near proceedings with the lack of 34 overs.
Gareth Roderick and Matthew Waite might have contributed glowing half-centuries earlier within the day, however Worcestershire have been in the end grateful to their skipper for hauling them away from bother towards a Gloucestershire facet who, at one level, should have sensed a possibility to register a primary red-ball win of the season.
Put into bat on a pitch that served up uneven bounce and a level of lateral motion throughout the first hour, Worcestershire misplaced early wickets. Opening up from the Chapel End, Taylor struck together with his fourth ball, tempting the in-form Jake Libby to push at a supply outdoors off stump and nick off to 3rd slip, the place Miles Hammond held on on the second try.
Taylor eliminated Azhar Ali in his subsequent over, the correct hander falling lbw to late motion regardless of taking a fairly large stride forwards. When Kashif Ali prodded tentatively at a size ball from Tom Price and Ollie Price took a superb catch low down at second slip, Worcestershire have been 18 for 3 within the sixth over and three out of their high 4 had failed to attain.
Yet Roderick and Adam Hose encountered no such issues, each showing completely at dwelling in a revitalising fourth-wicket stand of 77 in 14 overs. Fresh from signing a brand new contract, Roderick scored fluently both facet of the wicket towards his former membership. He raised 50 from 62 deliveries, reaching that landmark courtesy of his ninth boundary, a sq. reduce off Paul van Meekeren.
Much to his chagrin, he then pushed at a straight one from van Meekeren, deflecting an inside edge onto leg stump and departing for 53 when a very substantial rating gave the impression to be his for the asking.
Having adopted the function of chief help in an innings of 32 from 45 balls, Hose went within the subsequent over, Akhter pinning him lbw as Worcestershire subsided from the relative safety of 95 for 3 to 99 for five. Although D’Oliveira and Waite ushered the guests to lunch with out additional mishap, it was Gloucestershire who had a spring of their step on the interval.
But the sport entered an altogether completely different part throughout the afternoon session: Waite re-emerged with all weapons blazing, plundering six boundaries in eight balls as the primary 4 overs of the session yielded 42 runs.
He drove and reduce Matt Taylor for 4 after which discovered the leg-side boundary on 4 events throughout one van Meekeren over to pressure Gloucestershire onto the again foot. Continuing to play positively, the sixth wicket pair raised a 50 partnership from 58 balls and Waite, buoyed by 10 fours, rushed to a half century from simply 40 deliveries.
But Waite suffered a rush of blood to the top, driving expansively at Akhter and edging to second slip. He had contributed 64 from 54 balls, struck 12 fours and helped add 83 in 15 overs for the sixth wicket with D’Oliveira. Akhter struck once more in his subsequent over as 182 for six turned 182 for 7, Joe Leach taking part in throughout the road to a straight one with out scoring.
It was now incumbent upon D’Oliveira to play a accountable innings. The charge of scoring essentially slowed, however Worcestershire’s captain floor out a useful half-century from 87 balls, his first for the reason that opening sport of the season towards Derbyshire.
He discovered a keen ally in Baker, who initially rode his luck in a testing examination by the hands of Akhter, earlier than settling into the a part of second fiddle to his captain. By the time heavy rain pressured the gamers off, he was 10 runs wanting a half-century.