Worcestershire 220 for six (Jones 90, Harrison 3-78) path Nottinghamshire 399 (Clarke 105, James 96, Smith 3-67) by 179 runs
It was a welcome return to runs earlier for James, who performed each match final marketing campaign however managed a prime rating of solely 50 after ending 2022 with a career-best 164 not out. Needing 27 from 30 balls for a 3rd batting level some 40 minutes into play, he helped guarantee 25 had been abruptly plundered from Adam Finch’s subsequent two overs.
However when his stand with Harrison, begun 25 minutes after tea on Friday, lastly ended half-hour from the scheduled lunch, James, then on 87, noticed two extra fall in 5 overs. Harrison miscued to a working, tumbling Jake Libby at deep mid-on for 52 earlier than Liam Patterson-White went to Brett D’Oliveira’s occasional leg-breaks, the captain then working out Luke Fletcher with a direct hit.
With the final pair collectively, the interval delayed and far-flung fields permitting him solely refused singles, James finally swatted a Finch full-toss that appeared waist-high straight to mid-wicket and lingered in useless for it to be referred to as no-ball.
There was no such doubt, nevertheless, concerning the peremptory finish of each Worcestershire openers inside eight balls of the reply. Fletcher, in his first match this yr, put behind him an injury-hit 2023 by eradicating Gareth Roderick with out rating and Pennington noticed Libby stupendously taken one-handed by Harrison, diving full size at third slip.
It was a uncommon failure for one in all 4 males on this sport taking part in in opposition to their previous facet as Libby, who left Nottingham in autumn 2019, fell for 2 after posting 1051 runs at 75.07 in his final 9 video games.
In an unstinting and hostile second spell of 9 overs, Pennington then ended a restoration to inside 20 minutes of tea that had added 78 and Kashif Ali had recommended he would possibly surge away as soon as extra following his two lots of within the opening sport.
On 40, nevertheless, his strokeplay grew too outrageous. Strolling away to leg and slashing onerous, he top-edged Pennington to deep backward level the place Jack Haynes took an excellent sprinting catch. By the interval it was 90 for 3 and one other 65 had been added at 4 an over earlier than Harrison’s late strikes.
Hose top-edged a pull and skied again to the bowler for a brisk 33 and Jones, too, returned a catch, one the Harrison sprawled to just accept, the umpires collectively deciding it had simply carried. When Holder edged to slide, Worcestershire had been left needing a giant seventh-wicket stand of their very own.