[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

One-Day Cup, North Group

vs Yorkshire

New Road, Worcester

Worcs innings: The Pears won the toss and elected to bat on a sunny May bank holiday Saturday morning. The curse of our iffy batting struck yet again, with Worcestershire reduced to 62-4 within fifteen overs - largely by the bowling of Steven Patterson - to leave the whole innings teetering on the brink. However, at that point George Rhodes and Ben Cox dug in with no immediate aim but survival, and over the course of almost thirty overs built what would become the county's biggest ever partnership for any wicket in List A cricket against Yorkshire, their 169 trumping the stand of 166 between Alan Ormrod and Younis Khan in 1980. When Coxy eventually went for 87, leaving the Pears 231-5 with seven overs to go, there was still time to accelerate; however, despite Rhodes completing his maiden century in any format - a real landmark for the forgotten man at New Road, ostensibly out of favour in the eighteen months since his father was sacked as head coach - boundaries were hard to come by at the death. Ross Whiteley managed just two fours and a six before being bowled for 16 by Mathew Pillans, while Wayne Parnell added only a further 9. With Rhodes bowled for 106 off the last ball of the innings, Worcestershire finished on 293-7, a score slightly above the usual par at New Road, but crucially short of the satisfying 300 milestone.

Yorks innings: The White Rose made a steady start to their reply, and it looked like it might be an easy afternoon for them until the in-form Wayne Parnell was brought into the attack. Over the course of twenty deliveries the South African had Adam Lyth caught behind for 22, Harry Brook pinned LBW for a duck and Tom Kohler-Cadmore clean bowled for 31, reducing the visitors from 46-0 to 67-3; and from there, they simply never recovered. As in the Worcs innings, one good partnership might have saved them, but Ed Barnard wreaked havoc from the Diglis End, tearing through the middle order with a grubber that bowled Jack Leaning for 24, a widish ball that Jonathan Tattersall edged behind for 13 and a wicked yorker that cleaned up Tim Bresnan for 1. At 100-6 nearly halfway through the innings it was already looking a tall order for Yorkshire, but Dolly removed all doubt by dismissing the dangerous Gary Ballance LBW for 9, then springing forward in his next over to take a tricky caught-and-bowled chance off visiting skipper Steven Patterson. At 118-8 it was all over, but there was time for the White Rose tail to have some fun in the sun with a few boundaries before Parnell returned to end it all in consecutive deliveries: Mathew Pillans being caught at backward point for 31, and Josh Poysden edging behind for a golden duck the following ball. Yorkshire 143 all out, a second five-fer in as many matches for the Kolpak, and the most crushing win of the competition so far for the Pears.

Worcestershire WIN by a hundred and fifty runs

The Verdict: Ongoing batting woes aside, this was an assured performance all round, as the Pears remain unbeaten against Yorkshire in this format since 2015. A memorable day for George Rhodes, who came within five runs of his first century in any format last summer against West Indies A, and finally crossed the line when it really mattered to join the exclusive list of Younis Ahmed, Glenn Turner, Graeme Hick and one Tom Kohler-Cadmore in making a one-day ton versus Yorkshire. Likewise, after blowing hot and cold in his early days at New Road, we're finally starting to see the best from Wayne Parnell, and his second Michelle in as many games gives him the best figures for any Worcs bowler against Yorks in List A, bettering previous five-fers from Robert Chapman in 1998, Gareth Andrew in 2009, Kabir Ali in 2002, Ian Botham in 1988 and Nantie Hayward in 2003. For the second time in a week the Pears have skittled a strong team inside thirty-three overs for less than 150, and with the Bears beating Lancashire at Edgbaston, it's now a certainty - barring a catastrophe at Derby which annihilates our net run-rate - that Worcestershire will make the knockout stage for the fourth year in a row.