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Worcestershire bat for 200 overs and secure Taunton draw
A defiant century from Brett D’Oliveira and superb last day resistance from Matthew Waite saw Worcestershire to an unlikely Rothesay County Championship draw with Somerset at Taunton.
Beginning the day on 280 for five in their second innings, still 236 runs short of making their hosts bat again, the visitors closed on 485 for nine, D’Oliveira contributing a rock solid 121 off 340 balls, with 14 fours, and Waite an equally skilful 87 not out, from 319 deliveries, with nine boundaries.
Jack Leach claimed his 500th first class wicket in returning four for 103. But Ben Allison, Tom Taylor and last man Tom Hinley all played their parts in a committed rearguard action that left Somerset hugely frustrated at the end of a match they dominated. They took 16 points to Worcestershire’s nine.
It took Somerset 20 minutes to make the first breakthrough of the day as Kasey Aldridge found a way past an immaculate looking defensive shot from nightwatchman Adam Finch and bowled him for eight.
But it proved the home side’s only success of a morning session, which saw D’Oliveira and Waite meet good length balls with solid defence, while capitalising on any width offered by the Somerset attack.
Both played and missed on occasion, but an all-too-typical last day pitch at the Cooper Associates County Ground under cloudless skies offered little in the way of spin, seam movement or variable bounce to encourage bowlers.
By lunch, Worcestershire had progressed to 337 for six, with D’Oliveira unbeaten on 99 and Waite on 22. There was much for Somerset to discuss at the interval as the pair had looked untroubled for most of the session.
Aldridge and off-spinner Archie Vaughan had posed most problems. They opened up after lunch with no great impact as D’Oliveira patiently awaited the right ball to reach his hundred.
It came with an overpitched delivery from Aldridge and a sweetly-timed off-drive for four. It was D’Oliveira’s 13th first class century, made off 258 balls, with 12 fours, and proved one of his most valuable.
He and Waite continued to look in total control, literally bringing Somerset to their knees at times as close fielders adopted that position in a desperate bid to get closer to the bat for an edge off the spinners.
Waite moved to a patient fifty off 195 balls, with 6 fours, before D’Oliveira’s intense feat of concentration spanning five hours and 40 minutes came to an unfortunate end.
Thrusting his front pad well outside off stump to a wide delivery from Vaughan and playing no shot, he was given out lbw when the ball turned sharply and appeared to strike his back leg.
With a third new ball due in seven overs time, Somerset sensed it was a pivotal wicket and celebrated as though the game was won. At tea, Worcestershire were 415 for seven, still 101 behind, with Waite unbeaten on 58.
Having employed mainly spin, including that of occasional bowler Tom Banton, Somerset got through their overs at a rapid rate and were able to take the new ball immediately after the interval.
Skipper Lewis Gregory took responsibility for sharing it with Craig Overton, who struck the next blow in the fifth over after the break when Allison, on 22, fended a short ball straight to Tom Lammonby at short mid-wicket.
Still Worcestershire resisted, the obdurate Waite having been joined by Taylor. The final hour began with Somerset having a minimum of 16 overs to claim the last two wickets, Vaughan and Jack Leach operating with fielders clustered around the bat.
It was Leach who ended Taylor’s stubborn effort of 12 off 68 balls when he edged to Overton at second slip with 8.3 overs remaining to give the England spinner his milestone 500th first class victim.
But 22-year-old left-hander Hinley showed a maturity beyond his years to see out 44 balls, while Waite ended a brilliant day’s work, having defied everything that Somerset could throw at him.
Somerset skipper Lewis Gregory said: “We are hugely frustrated. We have a quality bowling attack and I am proud of their performance on what was a bang average wicket that offered them nothing.
“That is not the sort of pitch we wanted for our first game or for the remaining seven Championship fixtures here. While it feels like we have let eight points slip away, it was still a great start to the campaign in many respects.”
Worcestershire head coach Alan Richardson said: “We spoke at the start of play about it being a great opportunity to do something special and the spirit shown by the players against a very good side was tremendous.
“Brett D’Oliveira is a fantastic leader as well as a really top player. But Matthew Waite was also superb and so many other players chipped in. I wouldn’t go as far as to say it feels like a win because we were outplayed for much of the game, but we can take so much from today’s efforts.”
