Pears win after dramatic third day
Tue 24 May 2016
Leicestershire versus Worcestershire, Specsavers County Championship, Day 3:
SCORECARD | Available through ESPN Cricinfo HERE
INTERVIEW | An interview with Mark Cosgrove by BBC Radio Leicester's Richard Rae is available HERE
HIGHLIGHTS | The highlights of the third day's play will be available soon
REPORT | Matt Henry did damage with both bat and ball as Leicestershire suffered their first Specsavers County Championship defeat of the season following a dramatic third day against Worcestershire at the FCG.
County looked to have the edge when claiming a first innings lead of 42 this morning. The last two Worcestershire wickets came at a cost of 25 runs, Henry ending on 49 not out in a total of 274.
However Henry (4-27) then caused chaos with the new ball alongside Joe Leach (4-10), the duo taking eight wickets between them in bowling Leicestershire out for just 43 in the second innings.
That meant the Pears required 86 to win and although leading wicket-taker Clint McKay snared 3-28, the visitors got home by a seven-wicket margin.
Worcestershire resumed 67 behind with two second innings wickets intact and at that stage it looked like being a contest that would go right down to the wire.
Things were about to change quickly on an action-packed day.
The theatre started from the outset - Henry was nearly run out in the second over after a delayed reaction to taking a single with Jack Shantry.
Henry flicked the first four of the day down to fine leg in the next offering but Raine ended what had been a useful stand of 46 before the over was out as Shantry (10) edged to Paul Horton at first slip.
The field was spread for Henry but he managed to find one of the few gaps at deep backward point to collect his seventh four before another boundary came courtesy of leg byes.
His knock was becoming increasingly frustrating but the final wicket arrived when Charlie Morris (0) was run out in looking to get the New Zealander back on strike.
Henry then followed up his impressive work with the willow with two key breakthroughs as the Foxes slipped into early trouble.
The match’s top-scorer to date Horton (2) edged to Tom Kohler-Cadmore at first slip and captain Mark Cosgrove (0) was bowled. Inbetween, Neil Dexter (0) was caught at point by Brett D’Oliveira to become the sixth victim of the match for Leach.
Mark Pettini (7) guided the first boundary of the innings down to the vacant third man boundary but he fell to an athletic piece of work by Ross Whiteley.
Robson fended Henry aerially towards backward point and although the ball dropped just short, the plunging Whiteley gathered and sent a stump cartwheeling at the striker’s end as the batsmen attempted a single.
Wickets continued to fall as Robson was trapped in front by Leach for 2, Aadil Ali (2) became the second run out victim, this time to a D’Oliveira direct hit, Tom Wells (0) was trapped in front by Leach and Raine (1) was caught at the wicket by Ben Cox off Henry.
O’Brien had seen four wickets tumble at the other end but he got through to lunch alongside McKay, the pair on 15 and 5 respectively with the score at 40-8.
However, both batsmen departed shortly after lunch, O’Brien (17) edging Leach to Whiteley at third slip and McKay (6) bowled by Henry.
It meant that Leicestershire were bowled out for their lowest ever total against Worcestershire and Leach had combined figures of 9-27 on days two and three of this match.
The Foxes desperately needed early wickets but Worcestershire moved to 22 before the first one was taken.
Captain Daryl Mitchell (18) edged McKay to O’Brien having scored 18 and although the Australian seamer collected two further breakthroughs, the Pears kept chipping away at their target to ensure the pressure did not build.
The score had reached 38 when the promoted Whiteley (4) chipped to Shreck at mid-on and 57 by the time D’Oliveira (20) snicked to the ‘keeper.
Worcestershire reached their target in the 16th over with Joe Clarke (5*) and Alexei Kervezee (29*) the unbeaten batsmen.
Leicestershire’s next game is in the NatWest T20 Blast against Yorkshire Vikings at Headingley on Friday night before Specsavers County Championship action resumes at Kent on Sunday.
