[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

vs Gloucestershire

County Championship, Division Two

New Road, Worcester

Day One: Pears won the toss and elected to bat in front of a capacity crowd on the hottest Bank Holiday Monday in years.  Despite the early loss of Mitch, it was all smiles and sunshine for Worcestershire as their batsmen shook off the appalling form of the T20 campaign and put runs on the board on a pitch prepared for spin.  Dolly, fresh from signing a new contract, distinguished himself in particular with 93, though there were also good spells at the crease for debutant Ravi Ashwin with a 36 that oozed Test quality, and the out of form Tom Fell who made his highest score of the season so far with 38.  An unbeaten half-century for Ben Cox capped the day off nicely, though it was immensely frustrating to lose a settled Ed Barnard to a run-out in the last over of the day.  The Pears close on 338-7, very much the home side's day on a tough, slow wicket.  Anything above 350 will be a good first-innings score, and with three wickets standing and Cox still at the crease, the onus is on Worcestershire to crack on in the morning.  Then it's time to let Mr Ashwin loose on a pitch that was made for him, and see whether he is the man to save this crumbling season.

Day Two: A considerably cooler, cloudier affair, with early stoppages for drizzle.  The visitors made short work of the last three Pears wickets, dismissing the home side for 363, but had a huge wobble in the afternoon as they collapsed to 93-5.  Still, stubborn lower orders remain the norm this year in Championship cricket, and Gloucestershire staged a minor recovery to reach 258 all out in the end, with young Ed Barnard again the pick of the Pears bowlers grabbing a four-fer, and Ravi Ashwin opening his account with a creditable three wickets.  There was time for Mitch and Dolly to reach 10-0 before close of play, giving the Pears an overnight lead of 115.  Could perhaps have been better, but could also undoubtedly be worse.  Worcestershire now need to put a stranglehold on this tomorrow, if the weather stays clear.

Day Three: The autumnal weather continued, as did the home side's dominance.  A quick fire half-century for Dolly and a ton for Mitch sent the Pears well on their way to a score of 295-8 declared, and a lead of 400.  Gloucestershire will require the highest fourth-innings chase in their history to triumph here, and though with Worcestershire's current record there's no writing them off, three wickets before close of play steadied the nerves a little.  After his first-innings taster Ravi Ashwin is now clicking into gear, and the Pears need both him and the weather to be on top form tomorrow to seal this vital, must-win match.

Day Four: All wrapped up, and with time to spare.  A five-fer from Ashwin, taking his haul to eight in the match, ensured a much-needed triumph for the home side. A Sussex victory sadly keeps the pressure on, but for now Worcestershire are holding their own in the promotion race.

Worcestershire WIN by a hundred and eighty-nine runs

Star Performer: Another fine century from Daryl Mitchell can't quite take the place of eight crucial wickets from Ravi Ashwin, doing exactly what was needed on his Pears debut. He may only be at New Road for a short while, but from this point on the county's hopes are resting squarely on his shoulders.

Next Match: Worcestershire travel to Trent Bridge on Tuesday for the toughest test of the season against leaders Notts.