Vitality County Championship Division One: Worcestershire Rules on Opening Day

Joe Leach makes successful returns

Joe Leach hits six wickets on day one of the Vitality County Championship /

By Caroline Chepkorir

Joe Leach made an impressive comeback after injury; he hit six wickets on day one of the Vitality County Championship unexpectedly with Kent at Visit Worcestershire New Road. It was his first time back since the championship match against Nottinghamshire due to a recurrence of knee problems. He finished with 6-52 from 11.5 overs.

Kent had a favorable start, but the three wickets in the 13 balls restricted them to 73-0 and their lost 10 wickets for 98 in the 32.4 overs. In the second slip, New Zealand paceman James Hartshorn bowled an impressive line and length, while Tom Taylor knocked a wicket and Rob Jones held onto four chances.

In response, Gareth Roderick continued with his half-century, and they closed 34 arrears with eight wickets in hand. Nathan Smith stopped his spell because of an injury, and Worcestershire gave Hartshorn the chance.

Earlier, Worcestershire, Roderick, and Libby started their innings and the 50 in the 11.1 overs. The partnership led to 89, and Roderick ended a 107-ball half-century with seven fours.

Captain Brett D'Oliveira, Kashif Ali, Leach, and Adam Finch came back after lengthy spells on the sidelines. Muyeye anchored an aggressive with successive boundaries, and he was lucky to edge Hartshorn just short of a second slip and twice hit hard at flinch as the ball flew over the slip cordon.

Muyeye completed a 62-ball half-century with his 10 boundaries, but the game flipped after Leach switched to the New Road End, and he knocked three wickets in the space of 13 balls.

 “We are in a very good position. We won the toss and bowled this morning, and the less said about the first 45 minutes, the better, probably. However, after that, Credit goes to us for bowling them out for what we did (171), and the way the batters applied themselves was exceptional. The last 10 overs of the day looked tricky. It started to look like it might have misbehaved a little bit, but the way Gareth Roderick and Rob (Jones) got through was crucial for us and gave us a platform for tomorrow morning,” said Joe Leach in media reports.