Gloucestershire respond with a positive first innings
30 May 2016
Jack Shantry turned the clock back to a match played more than 100 years ago when scoring a career-best 106 in a remarkable Worcestershire recovery against Gloucestershire in the Specsavers County Championship at New Road.
History repeated itself when Shantry romped to a second 50 from 14 balls in completing a hundred from the No 10 position – just as Dick Burrows had done in a similar transformation against Gloucestershire in 1907.Burrows made 112 as the county recovered from 78 for four to total 447 and this time they climbed back from 34 for five to reach 439. Almost spookily each innings spanned 113.1 overs.
Shantry, who made his previous century in a promotion-clinching win against Surrey in 2014, followed up his latest exploits by bowling Gloucestershire opener Chris Dent in an opening spell of 13-3-22-1.Having claimed maximum batting points for the fifth time in six attempts, Worcestershire were in a position to dictate, but the West Country side were kept afloat by Graeme van Buuren’s maiden championship century in reaching 226 for five, still 213 behind at the close.
The 25-year-old South African put on 120 with Gareth Roderick (60) and continued to bat sensibly and soundly in making 104 not out with 11 fours from 206 balls in his hundred.
However four wickets fell in the final session. Roderick was leg-before, playing round the front pad to Brett D’Oliveira, and Michael Klinger was a second victim for Shantry, also given out lbw after making five.
Worse followed for Gloucestershire with Hamish Marshall (34) well caught by Ross Whiteley at mid-wicket off Joe Leach and George Hankins (8) was taken behind the wicket attempting to pull Ed Barnard.
So far the match has been shaped by the depth of Worcestershire’s batting. Worcestershire’s director of cricket, Steve Rhodes, called it “an amazing turnaround” which was made possible by Tom Kohler-Cadmore’s “excellent” partnerships with Ben Cox and Barnard on the first day.
Kohler-Cadmore was eventually caught behind the wicket off Liam Norwell for 169 after picking off 35 fours in a six-hour stay.
When he was out, having added 16 to his overnight score, Shantry had just got away with a miscue which looped wide of the slips and landed safely as Norwell came in from third man.
On 39 at the time, the left hander launched an onslaught against Craig Miles, the paceman conceding 44 in two overs, and in all he hit 11 fours and six sixes before he was bowled by Norwell (four for 70).
Shantry’s domination was such that last man Charlle Morris did not score a run while facing of 21 of the 59 balls in their partnership of 69.
Gloucestershire’s century-maker, Graeme van Buuren, said: “It meant all the world to me. That was a hard-fought knock. I’m still finding the conditions in England a bit tough. It was just about grinding through and getting the bowlers into their third and fourth spells. That’s all I was thinking, no matter what I was looking like.“What a feeling, it’s indescribable. I found it hard graft at first but luckily I came out on top today.”
