Pathway product Toby Cox produced a brilliant five-wicket haul for Worcestershire 2nd XI this week but was unable to prevent his side from falling to an eight-wicket defeat in their pre-season friendly against Durham, in a match dominated by either side’s respective bowling attacks.
Bowled out for 88 in the first innings, Worcestershire’s bowlers did well to restrict Durham to 133 all out, led by Cox’s excellent spell.
A 110-run third-wicket stand between Rob Jones (75) and Henry Cullen (42) kept the hosts in the hunt, but with a lead of just 128 heading into the final innings of the match, the away side eased to a comfortable victory.
Appearing at Bromsgrove School for the first time this season, Worcestershire were unsurprisingly asked to bat first after Durham won the toss on a green wicket, with openers Isaac Mohammed and Fin Jones leading the home side out.
In testing conditions on the first morning, Isaac started positively with two early boundaries, but his 21-ball cameo was abruptly ended when he was caught behind looking to work a ball into the off side.
A rare failure for Henry Cullen followed, as he exited without scoring, before Ben Allison, returning to action in just a batting capacity, followed soon after, having added 10.
Youngster Fin Jones batted with resilience, playing watchfully in his hour-long stay at the crease, facing 48 balls for his valuable 20, but when he too was caught behind, Worcestershire struggled to sustain any momentum in the face of a visiting attack cashing in on the bowler-friendly overheads.
Seth Essenhigh, Jack Home and Alfie Higgins all departed for single-figure scores, with Fateh Singh (16) doing his best to stem the flow of wickets falling around him.
Once Singh’s brief defiance was broken, Worcestershire’s tail fell away as Durham dismissed the hosts for 88.
In search of early inroads, seamer Harry Darley (1-20) opened his side’s account in the fifth over of the innings, as he castled Drissell with a full-length nip-backer that careered into off-stump.
A rising star in the Worcestershire ranks, Cox then bagged two wickets in successive deliveries, including the key scalp of senior pro Colin Ackermann, as the Canadian U19 all-rounder reduced Durham to 45-3.
Helping himself to three more wickets throughout the course of the innings, showing pace and discipline in abundance, as the youngster served a timely reminder of his capabilities, finishing with figures of 5-35 from his 10-over spell.
Fateh Singh bowled with control, taking 2-7 as he helped sift through the Durham lower-order batters, with Jeet Varaich and Assadullah Azami helping themselves to a wicket apiece as Worcestershire produced a clinical display in the field to bowl their opponents out for 133, restricting the lead to just 45 runs.
The momentum swung back in favour of the away side early in Worcestershire’s second innings, however, with Fin Jones caught for five, making way for new man Rob Jones to enter the fray.
Isaac (15) made a start, but the left-hander’s promising early signs were undone as he feathered a ball behind whilst looking to drive a ball on the up.
Henry Cullen joined Jones at the crease, with the pair quick to show their class in a terrific 110-run third-wicket partnership.
Jones, going at a rate better than a run-a-ball, batted with tempo and poise, taking the attack to the Durham bowlers, scoring freely through the off side, peppering the cover and point boundaries as the hosts grew into the contest.
Latching onto anything short, Jones brought up a sterling 41-ball-50 midway through the second morning of the match, supported by partner Cullen, who was playing an uncharacteristic but crucial supporting role, curtailing his usual attacking prowess to preserve his wicket and remain with the now flourishing Jones.
The partnership was eventually ended when Jones mistimed a pull shot and was caught at mid-on for a fabulous 75, bringing a close to a cameo that had included 11 boundaries.
Once Cullen’s resistance was broken three overs later, for a well-made 42, Worcestershire’s stability was rocked, with Durham’s bowlers seizing the initiative by taking the remaining seven Pears wickets for just 22 runs, bringing a premature end to the innings as the home side closed on 173 all-out.
Needing 128 to win and with half of the match remaining, Worcestershire were unable to defy the odds, with Home and Darley taking a consolation wicket each as Durham eased to an eight-wicket win.
