[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

One-Day Cup, Group B

vs Northamptonshire

Wantage Road, Northampton

As avoiding humiliation against the noisy neighbours proved beyond us for the third time this summer, the Pears were back on the horse with a visit to the East Midlands.

Northants innings: Worcestershire won the toss and put Northants in to bat on a splendid late-summer Wednesday morning at Wantage Road. There was no question about the wisdom of the decision as Matthew Waite had Emilio Gay caught at second slip off the eighth delivery of the match, and three overs later Dillon Pennington pinned new man Sam Whiteman plumb LBW for 2 with a full inswinger over the wicket, before having the dangerous Ricardo Vasconcelos caught at second slip for a quickfire 25. From 38-3, a ten-over rebuild added nearly fifty runs to the score of the hosts, but again they were pegged back when Pat Brown bagged a brace, having Rob Keogh caught at point for 35 when his cover-drive came off a thick edge, then the incoming Justin Broad soon outgoing as he bunted a short wide one straight to extra cover for 1. Veteran Luke Procter tried to take command, only to chip Josh Baker unconvincingly to mid-off for 31, and after seven further overs of resistance from Lewis McManus, the middle order was polished off when the skipper tried to come down the wicket to Waite and merely yorked himself for 15. But an admirable eighth-wicket partnership of 108 kept the home side in the game, led by Tom Taylor with an 80-ball ton and supported by young James Sales, whose wicket broke the stand when he was LBW to Pennington for 25. Logan van Beek then had new man Simon Kerrigan top-edging to mid-off for 2, and no sooner had Taylor completed his century - his fourteen fours and one six just one more boundary away from equalling the rope-finding contribution of the rest of the team combined - than Van Beek had him caught at long-off. 252 all out with the new ball offering plenty, Northants had at least given themselves a chance.

Worcs innings: There was room for an early wobble, though not without assistance from some dreadful umpiring as Gareth Roderick was given out caught at second slip for 1 off the sixth ball of the reply, which struck his thigh pad a foot away from the bat. Fellow opener Ed Pollock once again lived by the leg-side swipe and died by the leg-side swipe, caught at deep square for a run-a-ball 25, but there were to be no further casualties for another thirty overs, and by that time the outcome was all but decided. Another fine and measured anchoring role was supplied by Jake Libby with an unbeaten 82, but Rob Jones was indisputably the man of the hour, notching his maiden List A century (and first for Worcestershire in any format) with a two-and-a-half hour knock that weathered the early danger and earned the right to the flashing fours and thumping sixes that filled the late afternoon. Eventually caught at backward square for 122, Kashif Ali came in and contributed a muscled six over deep mid-wicket from low on the bat as part of his unbeaten 9, en route to the commanding back-foot drive from the skipper that trickled to a halt at extra cover, allowing the single that carried Worcestershire to a vital win.

Worcestershire WIN by seven wickets

The Verdict: Having gone from the sublime to the ridiculous on a painful and sold-out Sunday at New Road, a response was needed, and a response was emphatically delivered against a group rival very much in contention for a quarter-final spot. The gloriously one-eyed Northants commentators on the livestream claimed the match was won and lost at the toss, as if their top and middle order largely committing seppuku on a pitch that their number eight then scored a hundred on is some chance blow from the hand of fate; needless to say, it's a vast disservice to Worcestershire to pretend that our efforts with bat and ball were played on easy mode (and for the sake of argument, even if the pitch offered us a little extra help in each innings... it's *your* pitch, lads). Two further outings remain on Friday and Sunday against teams out of the quarter-final race, and for the first time in years, Worcs are motoring in the most venerable white-ball format.