Worcestershire Pile Up Huge Score in Tribute to Baker

For the sixth round of the Vitality County Championship, attention inevitably focused on Canterbury, where Worcestershire were the visitors, still rocked by the tragically early death of Josh Baker. In tribute, the Worcestershire shirts now carry the number 33 (Baker’s squad number) under the county badge. At all matches this week, there was a minute’s silence held in Baker’s memory before the action commenced.

Brett D’Oliveira chose to bat first and his side went on to make full use of the pitch, scoring a mammoth 618 for seven declared, their highest score against Kent since 1905. Gareth Roderick got things under way with a patient 117, and there were useful middle-order contributions before Jason Holder (123 not out in 110 balls, his highest Championship score) and Mathew Waite (100 not out) put on 225 unbeaten for the eighth wicket, setting a new county record. Matt Parkinson finished with figures of three for 201, the fifth time in seven innings this summer he’s gone for a hundred or more (and in one of the other innings he bowled just one over). After that, for Kent it was just about trying to bat out time. Jack Leaning took on the responsibility, scoring 179 not out in 403 balls, batting for almost ten hours. After his side was dismissed for 407, it wasn’t enough to save them from the follow-on, but on the final day Kent reached 146 for four to save the match.

Warwickshire were put in to bat at The Oval by league leaders Surrey. But for a maiden century for the county from Ed Barnard (108), the decision would have been perfect, but the visitors reached a useful-enough 343 all out, Jordan Clark taking four for 65. In reply, Jamie Smith (155) got late support from Sean Abbott (50 not out) as the pair added 115 for the ninth wicket, taking Surrey up to 464 all out, despite Craig Miles picking up five for 43. Kemar Roach then stepped up and finished with figures of six for 46 as the Midlanders fell away and were all out for 209 to leave the hosts with a target of just 89 for victory. They got there for the loss of one wicket, and Surrey have now won three on the bounce to open up an ominous 21-point gap over Essex. Worcestershire are next in line to take them on.

Propping up the division, Lancashire needed a win at Trent Bridge, but found one old boy in their way. First of all, the visitors chose to bat first and, having reached 273 for four, will have been disappointed to be dismissed for 331, as Olly Stone and Dillon Pennington wrapped up the tail. Even so, when Lancashire had the hosts at 275 for seven in reply, the game was in the balance, but Bolton boy Haseeb Hameed, now skipper at Nottinghamshire, was still there and determined to put his side in charge. He added 163 for the eighth wicket with Olly Stone, who hit a career-best 90, but continued on from there. Eventually Hameed carried his bat for 247 not out off 459 balls in 621 minutes; it was the highest score of his career and the highest score by any Nottinghamshire player to carry his bat. All out for 503, the home side led by 172 after the first innings. Having collapsed to 61 for six, Lancashire were in danger of losing by an innings, but Matthew Hurst stepped up to make his maiden century, eventually being the last man out after making 104, by which point his side had made 252. The target of 81 runs was achieved for the loss of one wicket, so Lancashire found themselves 13 points adrift at the foot of the table. Hameed, meanwhile, had spent all 347.1 overs (23 hours and 45 minutes) of the match on the pitch – the first to achieve that feat for the county since Charlie Harris in 1950.

Finally, at the Rose Bowl, Hampshire decided to bat first against Durham. Ali Orr, who had thus far had a modest start at his new county, came good and hit 126, then Tom Prest added 102 to help the home side up to a formidable 503 all out. Like his brother, Callum Parkinson was the main victim, conceding 176 runs, though he did pick up four wickets. It was never going to be easy even to avoid the follow-on target, but an in-form David Bedingham is hard to get out and he went on to score 144 to help his side up to 432 in reply. Liam Dawson toiled away for an incredible 66 overs and took five for 184; fellow spinner Felix Organ got off lightly with just 42.5 overs, which brought him figures of four for 101. There wasn’t much time left in the match, and by the end Hampshire had made 62 for two, Parkinson bowling all 18 overs from one end in the second innings.

There were just two games in the Second Division, and league leaders Sussex found themselves on the wrong end of things in Cardiff, after they were put in to bat. Despite five batters making 29 or more, none went on to reach fifty and they were bowled out for 278, with Mir Hamza and James Harris each taking four wickets. With Glamorgan struggling at 41 for four, it appeared as though it might be enough, but then Colin Ingram joined Kiran Carlson, and together they added 315 for the fifth wicket, a new county record (breaking the unbeaten 307 Carlson had recorded with Chris Cooke back in 2021). Carlson made 148, while Ingram’s 170 was his third century of the summer; he now has 637 runs this summer, making him the leading runscorer so far. The rest of the Glamorgan innings fell away, and the Welsh side reached 411 all out, with Jayden Seales taking five for 101. That lead of 133 soon felt huge after Sussex’s batting stumbled in the second innings. Perhaps surprisingly, it was Andy Gorvin who did most of the damage, taking a career-best five for 40, meanwhile Fynn Hudson-Prentice was out for 70 – he has reached 60 ten times in 48 innings but is yet to go beyond 73. Sussex were all out for 188, leaving a target of 56 for victory. Glamorgan duly wrapped things up by nine wickets inside three days, but Sussex are still ten points clear at the top.

At Northampton, Gloucestershire were put in to bat and Miles Hammond scored 112 while Josh Shaw equalled the highest score of his career, making 44, as the visitors reached 409 not out. Siddharth Kaul took five for 76 on his debut in English cricket. Marchant de Lange then rattled through the hosts’ batting, taking five for 42 as Northamptonshire replied with just 171. Cameron Bancroft hit 130 not out as the visitors made 319 for five declared to set a daunting target of 558. The hosts fought hard, but it was too much and they were all out for 301, losing by 256 runs.