[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

County Championship, Division One

vs Kent

New Road, Worcester

Day One

Morning: The Pears won the toss and put Kent in to bat on a cloudy Thursday morning with summer very much on the wane. It seemed a dubious decision for the first hour of this must-win match as the new-ball bowlers failed to find much movement from the pitch and the visiting openers duly helped themselves to runs, racing to 73-0 off seventeen overs. But with retirement looming, Joe Leach was never going to go gentle into that good night, and his introduction brought two breakthroughs in an over as half-centurion Tawanda Muyeye was drawn onto the front foot by a fullish delivery that swung away late, nicked the edge and flew to second slip for 56, before new man Daniel Bell-Drummond fell almost identically for a fourth-ball duck to one on the same line, but pitching on a length and flying high to third slip. With the brakes being applied to the scoreboard, Leachy then completed a near-perfect spell with the big wicket of Jack Leaning, caught behind for 6. Worcestershire were back in the game at lunch, the score even stevens on 98-3.

Afternoon: With the fifth delivery after the resumption, Adam Finch (who'd been targeted by the openers early on) tempted Joey Evison into a wild drive at a full ball and had him caught behind for 7, while Kiwi debutant James Hartshorn - replacing the colossal injury loss of Nathan Smith - opened his Pears account and continued the cheap demolition of the Kent middle order when Harry Finch cut to backward point for 5. Ben Compton had doggedly stuck around for the visitors for two and a half hours watching partners come and go, racking up seventy-four dot balls while making his patient 20, but the opener's number was up when he feathered an inside-edge behind off Finchy to leave Kent 103-6. Matt Parkinson came in determined to flash hard, but did it one too many times when he took on Tom Taylor and was caught at second slip for 13, and the similarly aggressive Grant Stewart tried to bash a wobbling jaffa from Leachy down the ground only to be bowled for 26. The big man - who's set to leave the biggest hole in Worcestershire's first XI since Graeme Hick - claimed his eighteenth first-class five-fer with the wicket of Somerset loanee Alfie Ogborne for a duck, and George Garrett duly made it the second-best figures of his career three deliveries later, finishing with 6-52 inside of twelve overs, narrowly shy of the 6-44 he took against Leicestershire in April 2022.

Evening: With Kent bowled out for 171, the Pears started their reply just as strongly, though Jake Libby feathered behind on 30 and the returning Kashif Ali edged to first slip for 17. When a similar collapse looked like it might blight this bright start, Gareth Roderick dug in admirably for his half-century, and Worcestershire closed without further drama on 137-2. Entirely Worcestershire's day, but it's vital we don't squander this position tomorrow and allow Kent a foothold back in the match.