County Championship: Worcestershire draw with Warwickshire after rain

Warwickshire were frustrated at New Road as persistent rain ended the County Championship derby when they needed just two more wickets to beat Worcestershire.

Chasing 327 for victory, Worcestershire were 181-8 when the players went off for bad light just before tea.

Much to the Bears’ anguish, rain then arrived to wash out the last 47 overs.

Worcestershire had resumed on the final day on 54-2 and appeared destined for defeat when they declined to 87-6 against an attack led by fit-again Chris Rushworth (3-30) and Chris Woakes (3-53).

Warwickshire were closing in on victory, but Matthew Waite (44 not out), Ethan Brookes (34) and number 10 Tom Taylor showed great resolve to defy long enough for rain to come to their side’s rescue.

Finding 327 runs on a difficult pitch under thick cloud against an attack led by Woakes and Rushworth is about as tough an assignment as county cricket gets and, sure enough, Worcestershire wickets were soon falling on the final morning.

The overnight batters fell in successive balls when Gareth Roderick (37) was adjudged lbw to Rushworth and Kashif Ali edged Woakes to second slip where Beau Webster took a superb catch, diving forward to his right.

If the batters were blameless in those two dismissals, that was not the case four overs later when Brett D’Oliveira lifted a leg-stump half-volley from Rushworth straight to long leg. When Rob Jones nicked a perfect outswinger from Ed Barnard to wicketkeeper Kai Smith, it was 87-6.

Waite and Brookes blended the inevitable playing and missing with sound defence and selective counter-attack to add 61 from 63 balls before the latter’s middle stump was plucked out by Ethan Bamber. Woakes soon had Ben Allison caught behind but Taylor joined Waite to consume 38 minutes before the weather closed in.

Warwickshire were denied the victory they, and in particular Sam Hain’s superb batting – 86 and 87 not out on a pitch on which only one other player passed 50 – deserved.

Worcestershire may feel that their luck has turned this season, having followed last week’s win over Essex with a healthy points haul from a draw.

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