Worcestershire secure victory on final day
31 August 2017
Ravichandran Ashwin was the star man in the Specsavers County Championship clash between Worcestershire and Gloucestershire at New Road.
The Indian star completed a productive opening game for his adopted county by taking eight wickets in total - including 5-68 in the second innings - and making useful contributions with the bat.
Worcestershire's sixth Championship win of the campaign moved them 19 points clear of Sussex, who have a game in hand as Gloucestershire were dismissed for 211.
The majority of their batsman made sizeable contributions and Ashwin was well supported by the County's seam attack in which Ed Barnard was again outstanding on what was a used pitch.
Gareth Roderick, skipper Phil Mustard and first innings century-maker Jack Taylor all got into the 40s on Day four, for mid-table Gloucestershire but their resistance was ended in mid afternoon by Ashwin and Co.
Gloucestershire resumed on 55-3 and Ashwin came straight into the attack for the second over of the morning and, apart from a brief spell by Brett D'Oliveira, bowled from the New Road End for the majority of the day.
It was Barnard who made the first breakthrough as nightwatchman Tom Smith (9) was trapped lbw by a delivery which kept low.
Ashwin collected his third wicket of the innings in the next over as George Hankins also fell leg before for a duck.
Gareth Roderick and Mustard defied Worcestershire for 13 overs.
Worcestershire skipper Joe Leach brought himself into the attack and knocked back the middle stump of Roderick for 47.
Mustard and Taylor provided stiff resistance during a partnership of 71 in 18 overs but the contest was effectively ended when they both departed in quick succession.
Mustard (40) presented Leach with a comfortable catch at mid off when facing rookie paceman Pat Brown and Taylor (43) fell leg before to Ashwin who completed his nap hand when Kieran Noema-Barnett was caught at fine leg.
Leach rounded off Worcestershire's victory by bowling Liam Norwell to secure his 50th Championship wicket of the campaign.
Gloucestershire head coach Richard Dawson said his side came off second best in all departments.
He said: "They played the conditions better than we did with both bat and ball.
"They've outplayed and they deserve what the ended up getting. Credit to Worcestershire. They played better than us.
"We thought we did a decent enough job on that first day (with the ball) but in our first innings we made too many unforced errors which put us behind in the game.
"We made silly mistakes and it put us on the back foot and put us under pressure.
"We asked for a bit of backbone and actually show that you can bat and make scores. Jack Taylor through the match batted very well and Gareth Roderick went out today and showed he can bat against good spin bowling.
"But overall you want your batsmen to go on and make big scores and we've not done that."
