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Glos suffer 85-run defeat to Worcestershire despite valiant Jack Taylor century

10 August 2023

Worcestershire Rapids keeper batter Gareth Roderick marked his return from illness with a superb century against his former club to help secure a 85 run success in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup at New Road.

Roderick had missed the opening three games in the tournament but continued the excellent form he has been demonstrating in the LV=Insurance County Championship with his List A best score of 137.

He showed his battling qualities in fighting through a testing time with the new ball in seaming conditions after the Rapids had been put into bat.

But Roderick, who spent eight seasons with Gloucestershire, then accelerated to such an extent that he faced only 114 balls and hit four sixes and 12 fours.

Rapids captain Jake Libby, also enjoying a prolific season, gave him excellent support during a partnership of 193 in 23.2 overs, a new Worcestershire record for the third wicket against their local rivals.

With Kashif Ali and new signing Logan van Beek providing late impetus, Worcestershire’s total of 375-7 was their second highest in 50 over cricket.

Gloucestershire then lost wickets at regular intervals against the seamers including four for van Beek to complete a promising debut.

Jack Taylor, who has scored four Championship hundreds against Worcestershire, provided some late entertainment for the Gloucestershire supporters in the 4,000 plus crowd with a 94 ball century.

But it only served to bring some respectability to the outcome as Worcestershire sealed a third win in four matches.

Worcestershire made five changes from the side beaten by Somerset at Taunton on Sunday with Brett D’Oliveira, Azhar Ali and Cameron Jones injured and Joe Leach and Dillon Pennington rested.

Netherlands international van Beek was handed his debut and there were recalls for Matthew Waite and Ed Pollock, Roderick and Brown.

Pollock and Roderick were given a searching examination by Zaman Akhter and Tom Price who had taken a hat-trick and scored a century on the same day in the corresponding LV=Insurance County Championship match between the sides.

Tom Price made the first breakthrough when Pollock edged to first slip and the powerplay only yielded 24 runs.

Roderick and new batter Rob Jones fought through this challenging period and gradually upped the tempo.

Jones, initially on loan from Lancashire before starting a three year contract next summer, gloved Anwar Ali through to keeper James Bracey.

But from this juncture bat dominated ball for the remainder of the innings with Roderick in prime form and given superb support by Libby in surpassing the 159 by Tom Fell and Alexei Kervezee at New Road nine years ago.

A single off van Meekeren enabled Roderick to move to three figures and was the cue for a standing ovation in recognition of a player who has responded to a challenging 2021 campaign in superb fashion.

A straight six by Roderick of Anwar Ali established the new third wicket partnership record against the visitors and it came out of the blue when Libby (86) was pouched low down at gulley off Zaman Akhtar.

Roderick produced the shot of the innings with a reverse scoop for six off Tom Smith but in the same over he sliced the spinner into the hands of short third man.

Smith also held onto a return catch from Ben Cox but the innings momentum was sustained by Kashif Ali and new signing Logan van Beek.

Kashif raced to 39 from 22 balls before he pulled Graeme van Buuren to backward square leg but van Beek struck Tom Price for two sixes over long off in making an unbeaten 41 from 19 balls.

When Gloucestershire batted, Matthew Waite bowled an excellent opening spell, beating the bat on several occasions and deserving better figures than 6-1-12-0.

It was van Beek who made the first breakthrough when Bracey holed out to Kashif Ali at wide mid on.

Ollie Price, a century-maker in the recent Championship match at Cheltenham, fell to Ben Gibbon after falling to a sharp catch by Rob Jones at backward point.

Pat Brown came into the attack and three wickets went down inside his first three overs as Gloucestershire subsided to 80-5.

Harry Tector was run out after being sent back after he turned Brown to cover and failed to beat Kashif Ali’s throw to Ben Cox.

Van Buuren went lbw and Chris Dent offered a simple caught and bowled.

Sub fielder Rehaan Edavalath got into the thick of the action with an excellent diving catch at mid wicket to dismiss Tom Price  off van Beek.

Libby brought himself into the attack and had Anwar Ali (6) taken at deep cover before Tom Smith (7) was neatly caught down the leg side off Baker

But Jack Taylor illuminated the dying embers of the game with some big hitting and his century included five sixes and five fours before he and van Meereken were dismissed in successive balls from van Beek.

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