Worcestershire reach 266/5 at the end of day one

It is a very emotional day for the Worcestershire club, following the sad news that their former player and Academy Director, Damian D'Oliveira died in the early hours of the morning at the age of 53. A minute's silence was held shortly before the start of play in memory of a man who had helped to groom and nurture many of the players in the Worcestershire side which took to the field.


With Graham Wagg having a side strain, Glamorgan recalled batsman Tom Lancefield, and it was Ruaidhri Smith who took the new ball with Michael Hogan against the side currently in second place in the Division Two table. The in-form Daryl Mitchell was joined by Championship debutant Richard Oliver who last week posted 292 against Warwickshire 2^nd XI and has been in decent form as well in the Twenty20 matches. The Shropshire lad duly opened his account with an on-drive before pulling Hogan for four. Next ball, Andrew Salter nearly caught him at square-leg but in the following over he drilled Hogan through extra cover.


With the total on 21, Mitchell edged Smith to second slip where Jacques Rudolph could not quite grasp the ball, but next over and without further addition, Hogan had Oliver caught by Dean Cosker as the opener flayed the ball into the gully. His departure led to the appearance of Moeen Ali, whose arrival was greeted with warm applause, and the man who earlier in the week posted his maiden Test match hundred was quickly off the mark as he clipped Hogan to square-leg before steering Jim Allenby through the covers for four.


But Smith then switched to the New Road End and in his second over, he dismissed Moeen who miscued a pull and was well caught by Chris Cooke running back from square-leg. Two balls later 39/2 became 39/3 as Mitchell cut a ball straight to Cosker as he took his second smart catch in the gully. Tom Fell also steered a ball from Smith just over the head of Cosker before Hogan returned at the Diglis End with Allenby switching to the New Road End, with both bowlers beating the edge of the bat before Cosker and Andrew Salter had a short spell in tandem before lunch.

Worcestershire may be known as the Rapids in one-day cricket, but they only amassed 56 runs in the 30 overs before lunch and against a disciplined visiting attack who delivered a probing spell during the morning session. But the tempo briefly quickened as Michael Hogan and Ruaidhri Smith returned after the interval, with the latter being struck for fours through point and mid-off by Tom Fell in consecutive overs. Alexei Kervezee also drilled Hogan through the covers for a pair of fours from consecutive deliveries before Fell played a couple of shots square of the wicket for four in an over from Smith.


Alexi Kervezee then greeted the return of Dean Cosker by cutting him for four but next over he edged Hogan into Mark Wallace's gloves. The home side were then awarded five penalty runs as a bouncer from Hogan evaded Wallace's grasp and ended up hitting the fielding helmet. A square drive by Fell against Cosker brought up the hundred in the 44^th over before Tom Kohler-Cadmore pulled Hogan for four.


Jim Allenby then replaced the Australian and was despatched for successive fours by the youngster, through mid-on and backward point, as the Tom-Tom partnership continued, albeit slowly, to move Worcestershire in the right direction. After getting a bottom edge to a drive against Cosker, Fell completed his fifty by completing a single into the covers against Cosker - his 125^th delivery.


Kohler-Cadmore had a couple of moments of good fortune as he firstly nearly dragged Allenby onto his stumps before almost scything the ball into gully's hands. Smith returned before tea at the New Road End and induced an edge from Fell's bat which sped through the slip cordon. The youngster continued to drive fluently as Andrew Salter entered the attack before the interval, drilling him through extra cover for four.

Resuming after tea on 171/4, the two Tom's - Fell and Kohler-Cadmore - continued to steadily accumulate against the spin-seam combination of Dean Cosker and Jim Allenby, with Fell cutting Allenby through point for four, followed next ball by a rasping cover drive and a similar elegant stroke the following over against Cosker, before completing his hundred with a single to mid-on - his 176^th delivery - before seeing his side gain their first batting point in the 71^st over.


He celebrated by pulling Allenby for four, before Kohler-Cadmore greeted the return of Andrew Salter by lofting him for six into New Road and then two balls later driving through the covers. He then drilled Cosker straight for four before Fell unfurled another languid drive for four against Salter, with Kohler-Cadmore shortly afterwards completing his fifty from 120 balls.


With three-quarters of an hour remaining, Glamorgan took the new ball with the home side on 239/4 as Michael Hogan and Ruaidhri Smith returned to bowl. The latter nearly caught and bowled Kohler-Cadmore but the return drive was just out of his reach. Fell then went past his previous best score, made in the last championship match, as he twice cover drove Hogan in an over for a pair of sweetly-timed boundaries.


But the Australian made the perfect riposte as he then bowled Fell with a delivery which appeared to keep a little low, thereby ending the fifth wicket stand which had added 158 in 53 overs. Worcestershire then showed their intentions of building a larger total as nightwatchman Jack Shantry joined Kohler-Cadmore for the last three overs.