Dexter records back-to-back hundreds
Sun 3 Jul 2016
Worcestershire versus Leicestershire, Specsavers County Championship, Day 1:
SCORECARD | Available through ESPN Cricinfo HERE
INTERVIEW | Centurion Neil Dexter spoke to BBC Radio Leicester's Richard Rae at stumps HERE
HIGHLIGHTS | The highlights of the first day are available HERE
REPORT | Neil Dexter continued his prolific summer as Leicestershire scored 299-7 on the first day of the Specsavers County Championship game at Worcestershire.
Dexter recorded his third competition hundred of the summer, and having also posted a score of 98, is Leicestershire’s leading scorer on 601 runs at an average of 54.63.
The batsman was part of the biggest stand of the day, 79 for the second wicket with half-centurion Angus Robson, but there were contributions throughout against a disciplined Pears attack including 40 not out from Ned Eckersley.
Leicestershire, who made one change to the side that drew against Gloucestershire with Ben Raine coming in for Aadil Ali, won the toss and elected to make first use of the New Road wicket.
It was good to see Tom Fell play his first senior game for Worcestershire since being given the all clear in his double battle against cancer, while Kyle Abbott came in for a first Championship appearance since replacing Matt Henry as the club’s overseas player.
Robson hit a quintet of boundaries in the opening half hour to get Leicestershire got off to a bright start but he lost opening partner Paul Horton (3) in the 8th over. The batsman nicked Ed Barnard’s fifth delivery of the day to Tom Kohler-Cadmore, who took a fine catch above his head at first slip.
The in-form Dexter came to the crease and dominated an unbroken stand of 69 with Robson before the interval.
Robson collected another four off Abbott before surviving a difficult chance to gully off Barnard when on 27 and although Dexter collected five boundaries off the young seamer, he was making life tough for the batsmen by obtaining plenty of movement.
It took 26 balls before Jack Shantry conceded a run, opener Robson ending the left arm seamer’s stranglehold by hitting to the fence, before Dexter twice struck the returning Abbott for four to overtake his colleague for a brief period.
Robson and Dexter continued to pick off any loose deliveries as the stand passed 50 before lunch, the batsmen going in on 47 and 44 respectively having scored nine fours apiece.
The score was 100-1 after 34 overs at that stage and after Dexter added another boundary, both batters reached 50 off successive deliveries. Robson was first to the landmark from 124 balls while Dexter’s effort came from 88.
Unfortunately Robson (50) did not add further to his tally as he was caught low down by ‘keeper Cox, Barnard striking for a second time.
That wicket paired together Leicestershire’s leading scorers in the competition in Dexter and Mark Cosgrove, and after a steady start, the boundaries started to flow again. Three in the space of seven personal deliveries moved Dexter into the 70s with the score at 143-2 after 50 overs.
A 50 partnership was recorded in the 53rd over, and Cosgrove went on to record the fifth boundary off his innings off D’Oliveira, but the leg-spinner gained revenge at the end of his comeback over by having Leicestershire’s skipper caught at the wicket.
Dexter picked up a further trio of fours off Abbott as he closed in on a second consecutive Specsavers County Championship century, the batsman being unbeaten on 96 at tea with County having their first batting point in the bag.
Mark Pettini (16) helped Dexter add 39 before the interval but only two more singles had been added by Dexter when the number five batsman was run out by D’Oliveira’s direct hit from backward point.
Dexter moved into three figures from 185 deliveries and promptly recorded an 18th four of the day off Abbott. Eckersley also opened his boundary account as eleven were scored off the South African seamer’s 18th over.
Worcestershire kept plugging away and Dexter’s fine knock came to an end two balls before the new ball was due. Joe Leach induced an edge through to Cox, who took a smart catch standing up to the stumps.
Such was D’Oliveira’s control - he bowled 23 overs at a cost of just 53 runs – captain Daryl Mitchell kept his leggie in operation with the old ball. It was a move that paid dividends as Rob Taylor (9) was caught by Shantry at mid-wicket off the spinner.
Clint McKay was typically aggressive, hitting the slow bowler for consecutive fours at the end of the 89th over to put a small dent in his figures, while also lofting Leach over cover. But he fell for 19 off 18 balls when the new cherry was eventually taken, trapped lbw by one that kept low from Barnard, who finished with an impressive 3-49.
Two consecutive fours at the start of the 95th over took Eckersley’s boundary tally to seven and he was still there at stumps alongside Raine (6 not out) with County on the verge of a third batting point after a solid day's work.
