Match Details VS Derbyshire
Rothesay County Championship Division Two: Derbyshire v Worcestershire
Venue: Central Co-op County Ground, Derbyshire
Date: Friday 3rd April, 2026
Scheduled start time: 11am
Match preview sponsored by MSN Pharmacy Group.
After a long winter away, Worcestershire will finally begin their 2026 Rothesay County Championship campaign on Friday, with Alan Richardson’s side primed for a trip to face Derbyshire in the season opener.
Returning to Division Two action after a two-year spell at the top table of red ball cricket, the Pears will be looking to start as they mean to go on during Easter weekend.
*Members who have not received their 2026 Membership Card can this weekend use their 2025 Card to access Members only areas at Derbyshire*
The Latest
A busy pre-season has seen all Pears utilise their full squad, with every available player featuring at some point throughout March. The notable absentee is seam bowler Ben Allison, who’s back injury has ruled him out of the opening round of Rothesay County Championship action.
A prominent figure in last season’s campaign registering 40 wickets in Division One, the injury-enforced absence of Allison forced Alan Richardson to act swiftly and secure the services of experienced County Championship operator Oliver Hannon-Dalby at short-notice, from rivals Warwickshire.
Expected to feature across the first two rounds of four-day action, Hannon-Dalby is in line to play alongside the in-form Tom Taylor and Jake Libby, with the experienced pair enjoying superb starts to the new campaign.
Inside The Camp
Jake Libby says his side are “ready and raring to go” ahead of their trip to Derbyshire on Friday, with the vice-captain eager for his side to express their cutting edge.
With plans now in place, the time for talk is now over, as Worcestershire prepare to raise the curtain on their 2026 domestic summer, beginning their return to Division Two with a trip to face Derbyshire.
Spirits inside the camp are high, with a successful pre-season now complete and the team high on confidence after a competitive three-day tussle with Warwickshire.
Libby says the group have peaked at a nice pace, with the opening batter keen to continue his own impressive form after notching three-successive fifties during March.
“It was obviously a very strong side that Warwickshire put out and I think naturally we just had to up our game a little bit. We had a tough first morning there, but a lot of the batters spent time in the middle and in the end, we upped it and bought some really good spells there. Naturally you make that progression towards the start of the season and that first game away at Derbyshire and the boys are in really good stead for it.
“It’s been nice to spend some time in the middle myself and every time I’ve got in it’s been nice to get some runs under my belt. There have been a couple of really good pitches, you know, particularly in Sussex and then at Edgbaston, where they had some small boundaries which is always nice in pre-season, but I haven’t changed too much in my game.
“Like every batter, I have worked on a couple of things, but ultimately, still much of the same stuff as last season so it’s nice to sort of pick up where I left off and hopefully kick on to a good season.”
With little change in personnel amongst the squad over the winter period, the Pears travel to face Derbyshire with a strong reliance on squad balance for their season opener.
The emergence of youngster Dan Lategan and blossoming of Ethan Brookes underpinned Worcestershire’s impressive finish to the 2025 campaign, with the senior figures within the squad adding a composed look to a team building their own identity.
According to the man who played a central part throughout last year, not least by registering 1,000 first-class runs from the top of the order, Libby says whoever takes the field in the final XI on Friday will be in a prime position to start with the right intent.
“We almost just need to try and control the nerves and that sort of expectation for the new season.”
“It’d be great to get off to a winning start, without stating the obvious, but performance wise we’re trying to nail with bat and ball the disciplines and the stuff we sort of live by at Worcestershire on the pitch.
“Whoever goes out on that pitch in that first game will be raring to go, and we know it’s not going to be straightforward this year. It’s never as simple as going straight back up but I think the boys are just excited more than anything and raring to get out there.
“I think we’ve got really good balance. You saw in the 50 over competition last year with some of the youngsters who played a real pivotal role in that win and no doubt moving forward we’re going to see a lot more of the younger lads coming through and playing an important part in the success here.”
Although relegation from Division One is very much in the past, there is no doubts that a return to the topflight is a key motivating factor as Libby and his team add the final touches to this summer’s preparation.
Battle hardened after plenty of near misses in the longer format across 2025, the vice-captain insists his side have used the learnings from their time in Division One, and are eager to express their new found cutting edge.
“If we can get out on the right side of the small margins in games that we speak about and try and win those key moments we will be in a good place.
“I think we can look at so many games last year, particularly at home, where we just lost that fine margin in the game and probably had a bad half an hour or even 40 minutes, which sometimes at New Road that is the difference.
“We’ve addressed that and we’re aware of it and ultimately, we know if we can get on the right side early then we will get into teams.
“The first two fixtures are really exciting. Firstly, at Derbyshire, then onto Lords for the second game, which is going to be amazing. The boys are just raring to get out there and try and put in a good performance.”
The Opposition
Last season’s finish: 3rd place
Captain: Wayne Madsen
One to watch: Mohammad Abbas
Persuading the experienced Pakistan pace bowler Mohammad Abbas to reject offers from Division One counties and sign a two-year contract is a statement of intent by Worcestershire’s next opponents, who made another impressive move with the recruitment of England off-spinner Shoaib Bashir.
Abbas, a veteran of the County circuit, has enjoyed spells with Leicestershire, Hampshire and most recently Nottinghamshire, taking over 50 wickets in three separate seasons during his time in the Rothesay County Championship.
The Pakistani pace bowler, known for his skills as a new ball bowler, has claimed more than 840 first-class wickets, and the Pears batters will have to be watchful throughout if they are to keep Abbas’ threat to a minimum.
The combination of early season, bowler-friendly conditions and an International quality seam bowler make for quite the storyline as two teams looking to battle it out for promotion face-off against one another this Easter weekend.
Squad vs Derbyshire
