Lancashire treated to a right royal roasting by Worcestershire.
At the start of the third day of this match, Lancashire had expected things to be difficult, but nobody expected the game to be over by 4:30, inside three days. Lancashire were bowled out for a phenomenal score of 63, requiring 269 to win as Worcestershire opened their winning account for this season with a comfortable 205-run victory.
Worcestershire commenced at 9-0 with a lead of 138 runs already to their names. Few people would have predicted that Worcestershire could declare and still win by 75 runs. But they didn’t declare and Daryl Mitchell, accompanied by Phil Hughes sought to extend an already suitable lead. The visitors reached 36 before losing their first wicket when Mitchell was caught behind by Gareth Cross, after edging down the leg side off Glen Chapple for 23. Spin struck its first of 19 wickets today, when Hughes was caught by Tom Smith off Simon Kerrigan as Worcester reached 40-2, leading by 169. Kerrigan struck once more as Steven Croft caught Moeen Ali, who certainly had more to give to this game taking 6-29 in Lancashire’s second innings, collecting match figures of 12-96.
Steven Croft took the first of six wickets as James Cameron was caught by Aswell Prince at second slip for 2, with Worcestershire at 61-4 but leading comfortably though by 190 runs. Matthew Pardoe was instrumental in Worcestershire’s first innings scoring 55, but fell shortly after Cameron as Croft struck him on the pads for 1. The only real partnership of the day achieved 47 runs between Vikram Solanki (50) and Gareth Andrew (29) who increased the visitors lead to 245, before Andrew was caught by Shahzad at long off, as Croft took his third wicket. Lunch was signalled 2 runs later and Lancashire were facing an impossible situation, despite taking Worcestershire’s first six wickets for just 96 runs in the first innings and 116 second time round.
Lancashire desperately needed to take wickets and struck in the first over after lunch as Ben Scott, who scored 105 in the first innings, was out for a duck after Kerrigan’s spin forced him to edge to Croft. A rare batting highlight saw Solanki reach his 50 from 122 balls as Worcestershire moved to 135-7, leading by 264. Shaaiq Choudry allowed Solanki to hold most of the strike in the 8th wicket partnership, but on a deadly pitch he was unable to counter the spin of Croft, who made an easy catch off his own bowling to dismiss him for just 6. Solanki followed for the addition of no more runs as Steven Croft took his first ever 5 wicket haul by trapping Solanki LBW. He was then able to finish Worcestershire off when Richard Jones edged to Karl Brown for 8, as Croft took career best figures of 6-41.
An impossible task of 269 runs started in the worst possible way as Lancashire’s highest first innings scorer, Paul Horton, was trapped LBW to Alan Richardson second ball for no score. Two more wickets fell with Lancashire on 13, first Stephen Moore (9) who edged to Andrew as Richardson took his second wicket and the Karl Brown (0) who was caught by Solanki as Moeen Ali took the first of six wickets. Lancashire were certainly up against the spinning conditions, but pace bowler Richardson taking two wickets demonstrated the home sides lack of application to a task that required complete and utter focus.
Steven Croft (16) is primarily considered as a batsman, but it is fair to say he contributed only with the ball in this game, taking match figures of 9-105 but only scoring a combined total of 22 runs. His second innings ended when he was caught behind by Ben Scott, to give Moeen his second wicket. Ashwell Prince mirrored his first innings effort as he scored just one run before he too was out caught behind off Moeen. Lancashire were 22-5 and matters continued to get worse when Tom Smith exited for 3 in the same way as Croft and Prince. The highest partnership of the innings between Cross and Hogg managed just 17 runs, but ended when Cross, who top scored with 20, was caught by Richardson to give Moeen his fifth wicket. Captain Chapple gave Choudry his first wicket when he edged to Worcester captain Mitchell for 9 with Lancashire 61-8. Shahzad was out for successive ducks as he was stumped off Choudry addind no more to Lancashire’s total, with Hogg (6) and Kerrigan (2*) were the only two batsmen left. Hogg was also stumped, this time off Moeen as he took 6-29 and Lancashire were all out for 69.
Lancashire recorded their lowest total on their home ground since being dismissed for 62 by Somerset in 1963 as they lose their fourth game of the season. After the valiant effort by Lancashire last season to win their first outright county championship since 1934, the champions appear to be relegation candidates as Worcestershire pick up their first win of the season and first win in eleven months, when they beat Lancashire at New Road last September, in similarly humiliating fashion by 10 wickets also inside three days.
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