Essex title charge on the rails as Worcestershire upset the odds

Worcestershire 266 (D’Oliveira 68, Taylor 62, Porter 5-52) and 321 (Libby 65, Hose 64, D’Oliveira 51, Cook 4-23) beat Essex 404 (Pepper 112*, Westley 68, Snater 53, Brookes 3-34) and 140 (van Beek 4-26) by 43 runs

The Worcestershire captain claimed the run out of Das and a catch off Cox in the space of three balls to drag Essex from the comparative safety of 69 for 2 to imminent peril at 71 for 4. It prefaced a serious collapse as Essex fell well short of their target of 184 in 89 overs.

It was a remarkable effort from Worcestershire, who were 10 for 4 inside the first half-an-hour on day one, before conceding a first-innings lead of 138. The last-wicket stand of 64 between Tom Taylor and Amar Virdi at the end of the first day proved decisive in the final analysis.

Worcestershire’s third Vitality County Championship win in succession eased their fears of a drop back into Division Two, but seriously damaged Essex’s outside hopes of catching Surrey at the other end of the table.

It had not looked good for Essex as early as the fifth over. They had only 17 on the board when Joe Leach’s pace accounted for Dean Elgar, lbw for six. Tom Westley included three boundaries in his 21 before he was beaten by an outswinger from Tom Taylor that took the outside edge.

Das had looked comfortable for his 32 before he was the first victim of D’Oliveira’s athleticism from a position at short mid-on just in front of the stumps at the non-striker’s end.

Cox drove back a delivery from van Beek, D’Oliveira stuck out his left hand and diverted the ball on to the stumps with Das out of his crease, immobile and seemingly oblivious to the danger.

Cox then played an almost identical shot two balls later, this time slightly off the ground, and D’Oliveira reached out his right hand to hang on for the catch. Essex were suddenly 71 for 4 and in desperate need to regroup at the imminent lunch break.

The reset did not materialise as Matt Critchley deposited the fourth ball back past Amar Virdi for four but next ball turned it off his legs into leg slip’s waiting hands.

An over later, and still 103 runs from the target, Paul Walter slashed wildly at van Beek outside off-stump and was caught behind. If that was reckless in the circumstances, Michael Pepper had not paid attention as he tried s similar shot and was fortunate it flew wide of slip and away for four.

Pepper and Simon Harmer put on 40 for the seventh wicket until Harmer was beaten for pace by Taylor. With 60 required, that brought in the injured Shane Snater with Elgar as his runner. The partnership lasted three overs before Virdi trapped Pepper lbw for 22 and Snater followed to a catch behind off van Beek. It was all over when Sam Cook hoicked the Dutch international to the square-leg boundary with 46 overs remaining.

At the start of the day, Sam Cook wrapped up the Worcestershire innings in 20 minutes with the new-ball to return figures of 4 for 23 and in the process claimed his 300th first-class career wicket . He had Taylor waving at a delivery that whistled past him en route into Pepper’s gloves and then induced a leading edge from Virdi for a tumbling caught and bowled.