Hill Stars on Day Three - Match Report
Sat 9 Apr 2022
Lewis Hill fell seven runs shy of a century, before Ed Pollock raced to his maiden ton, in a testing third day for Leicestershire.
Chris Wright and Beuran Hendricks displayed rearguard action in a final-wicket stand of 48 to avoid the follow-on, before Worcestershire raced into a commanding 369-run lead at stumps.
The Running Foxes resumed on 42-3 on the third day, adding just nine runs before they lost their fourth pole. Captain Colin Ackermann was dismissed leg before for 12, attempting to leave a Joe Leach delivery that nipped back in late.
Hill, looking especially fluent, brought up the Running Foxes’ first half-century of the season with a perfectly timed on drive to the fence off Pennington.
He, along with Harry Swindells, reasserted some control, ticking the scoreboard over nicely to bring up the 50-stand, including a burst of 23 runs from three overs, before the latter fell to Ed Barnard for 16 the following over.
Ben Mike then became Barnard’s second scalp of the morning, chipping to Azhar Ali at mid-on for four, before lunch was taken not long after with the score reading 128-6.
Hill looked destined for a century, but he fell an agonising seven runs short after dragging a Dillon Pennington delivery onto his stumps on 93.
Further losses of Callum Parkinson (7) and Ed Barnes (23) stifled the Running Foxes’ momentum, leaving them nine down with the score on 165.
Wright and Hendricks showed great resilience to put on an enterprising final-wicket stand of 48, which helped to avoid the follow-on and earn a batting bonus point.
That partnership came to end as Wright took on Pears’ spinner, Josh Baker, holing out to long-on for a valuable 32. Leicestershire all out for 213.
Post-tea, Worcestershire began their second innings, and wasted no time in accelerating proceedings. Pollock and Libby displayed few signs of error in their stroke play, while the newer ball did much less than it had in both teams’ first innings.
Pollock raced to 50, reaching the landmark after just 45 balls. Libby followed not long after the pair had brought up the century stand.
On what was becoming a docile track, Leicestershire remained persistent, and finally got their reward in the 33rd over “ Mike’s first. The Running Foxes all-rounder had Libby chopping on for 75 with his fifth ball of the innings.
One brought two. Parkinson saw off Azhar Ali, who was LBW for a single, mistiming an attempted lap sweep.
However, the mainstay was Pollock. Famed for his white-ball prowess, the opener motored to a maiden first-class hundred on his Pears debut. The landmark came off just 113 deliveries.
He eventually fell for 112, pulling Mike to Rhodes at deep mid-wicket.
Jack Haynes made a quickfire 29, before he mispulled Mike to Ackermann at mid-on, while Barnard was bowled for a golden duck next ball to give Mike his fourth of the innings.
The hat-trick ball was safely negotiated by Ben Cox, and only one more ball was possible before stumps was called, with Worcestershire on 234-5, leading by 369 runs. Play the final day resumes at 11am tomorrow morning.
