Worcestershire thrive in a summer of adversity, bereavement and floods

Mourning Josh Baker and ravaged by the climate crisis, the county have made the most of limited means

Somerset could still win their first County Championship title, while Surrey remain on for the three-peat. Gloucestershire’s victory in the T20 Blast was particularly rousing – watched by David Lawrence, their club president so visibly confronted by the effects of motor neurone disease – but Worcestershire’s tale may be the most remarkable of the summer, one of existential questions, tragedy and on-field joy.

Promotion to Division One was followed by winter floods – eight in total – that ravaged New Road, the club’s idyllic ground by the River Severn. The venue is familiar with flooding, leading to the odd strange anecdote. “We’ve had players who have left their cars for overseas tours that have been seen floating along the car park,” says the head coach, Alan Richardson.

But the situation is becoming increasingly serious and the club’s chief executive, Ashley Giles, is threatening action. With the floods having forced Worcestershire to play their first two Championship home games at Kidderminster, Giles has raised the possibility of leaving the ground, their home since the late 19th century. The club have commissioned consultants to assess available options, be it a redevelopment of the existing ground or a move away.

“The board want to look at everything,” he says. “No one wants to leave New Road. On the other side, given the circumstances, it would be foolish not to say, ‘OK, if we were forced to move, what would the alternatives look like?’

“All cricket businesses have many different issues to deal with. But we’re quite possibly the only professional sports team who face an existential threat from climate change. That’s the reality. That’s what’s doing this. That’s why the situation is worsening.

“This is a big issue and we have to tackle it head on, whatever the outcome is. But there is no point in just pretending it isn’t there. We have a lot more to think about than just runs and wickets.”

That last sentence feels apt when remembering the news from early May, the death of Josh Baker, at the age of 20. The left-arm spinner was a popular presence at New Road, an academy product beginning to make himself known, the one who hit the runs to seal promotion. A week on from his death, Baker’s teammates took to the field against Kent at Canterbury with the blessing of his family.

“Paul and Lisa, Josh’s parents, are very close to us,” says Richardson. “They’d come and watch Josh a lot. They were absolutely adamant that the first team played their next game. We did check in with the group, but we also expressed Paul and Lisa’s request.

“I can’t even imagine what they’ve been through during that time, and since really. It felt like the right thing to do. They were very supportive of us playing and wanted us to play and believed that Josh would have wanted us to play.”

So they carried on, hitting 618 in their first innings against Kent with three centurions: Gareth Roderick, Jason Holder and Matthew Waite. “I don’t quite know how the players got through that first session, but they did,” says Richardson.

They’ve carried on to excel in Division One, primed for a mid-table finish when just staying up would have sufficed. Three consecutive wins included a spectacular result at Chelmsford, 10 for four against Simon Harmer and his sidekicks turning into a 43-run victory. They’ve done it with 33, Baker’s number, sitting below the badge on their shirts.

There wasn’t much to shout about in the T20 Blast, finishing second-last in the North Group, but a quarter-final place in the One-Day Cup was another defiant effort after several injuries forced the need for late reinforcements before the start of the competition. “We had three club players who I phoned in the middle of the week to say, ‘Do you fancy playing for us for a month?’” says Richardson.

Giles calls the season’s achievements “not much short of astonishing”, taking into account the senior players Worcestershire have lost to other counties in the past couple of years. Nottinghamshire’s raid before the season was particularly stinging, as they signed Josh Tongue, Dillon Pennington – quicks who are part of England’s plans – and Jack Haynes.

Worcestershire remain a club of limited means, unable to rival the resources of a Test venue, their lack of an indoor facility meaning they have to train at Malvern College, a nearby private school. While promising talents leave, the club bring in those who have something to prove. Take Kashif Ali, who played second-team cricket around the country before he signed two years ago, his first professional county deal acquired at the age of 24. He leads their batting averages in Division One this year.

“Our facilities are sometimes a bit of a challenge because of the floods,” says Richardson. “We make no bones about that when we try to attract players, that they won’t get everything they always want.” In return, they get opportunities.

Despite making the best of what they’ve got, some extra money would be handy, particularly when faced with a unique threat. Giles admits to excitement about the introduction of private investment into the Hundred and the funds that will filter into the county game. “We’re seeing, possibly, hopefully, one of the biggest changes in cricket,” he says.

“This money will benefit the whole game. We need to all make sure we use that moment well to best give ourselves a chance of all 18 [first-class counties] being sustainable in the future.”

Banton the brave

If you haven’t watched it , go for it. Somerset’s remarkable last-gasp win over Surrey last week featured an astonishing innings from Tom Banton and, no, we’re not talking about his hundred in the first innings. Rather, it was his 46 from No 11 in the second, after he’d rolled his ankle in the day’s warm-ups. Having to bat with his feet pretty much stuck to the ground, Banton hit some astonishing strokes to keep his side in the game, reverse-sweeping Shakib Al Hasan and cover-driving Dan Worrall.

There is something to be said about physical pain freeing up the mind of the batter, perhaps liberating them when there are no expectations of a score. Watching Banton was a reminder of Glenn Maxwell’s double-hundred against Afghanistan at last year’s World Cup, playing arguably the greatest one-day innings while suffering with back spasms and cramp.

Banton’s knock also underlined what a fine season he has had, averaging close to 50 in the County Championship and the Blast, his red-ball game finally starting to match the promise he has shown against the white.

After Jack Leach took the final wicket against Surrey last Thursday, Banton rushed on to the field using crutches to take it all in. That’s worth a watch, too.

Quote of the week

Ireland are a team that are playing a lot of fearless cricket” – England’s Kate Cross gives props to the opposition, who secured a famous win over the visitors in Dublin on Sunday.

Still want more?

Rain denied us a decider, but here’s Taha Hashim’s report on how a stunning Liam Livingstone knock helped England draw 1-1 with Australia in their T20 series.

Harry Brook will become the fifth man to captain England this summer when he leads the 50-over side in their series against Australia.

Gary Naylor’s county talking points home in on a glorious week for the West Country.

Memory lane

Adam Hollioake in November 2003 on ‘The Journey’ from Edinburgh to Tangier, a fundraising mission that helped to build a new hospice in London in memory of his brother Ben, who died in 2002. Hollioake walked from Edinburgh to Brighton, then sailed the English Channel to Dieppe, rode from Dieppe to Gibraltar and finally rowed from Gibraltar to Tangier. The trip took more than two months and raised several hundred thousand pounds for the Chase Charity.

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