(writes Andrew Hignell)
Glamorgan will look to bounce back after their defeat against Somerset as they meet Worcestershire in their next game in the Bob Willis Trophy at New Road with the four-day contest scheduled to start on Saturday, 8th August at 1100.
The Welsh county went down to a 155-run defeat last September at New Road after long-serving Worcestershire opening batsman Daryl Mitchell had made an imperious 139 in his team’s second innings as Glamorgan were set a target of 312 on the third afternoon. However, the Welsh county never recovered from the loss of both openers – Nick Selman and Kraigg Brathwaite - for nought, with Lady Luck also not being on Glamorgan’s side as David Lloyd was bowled via pad and boot, before Billy Root drilled a ball to backward point where it struck Ed Barnard, only for the fielder to gleefully clutch onto the rebound off his torso.
However, Glamorgan were victorious on their visit to Worcester during June 2017 as they recorded an emphatic nine-wicket victory. Such an outcome had looked unlikely earlier in the match as Glamorgan ended the first day’s play on 76-6. But an action-packed second day saw the contest turned on its head as Jacques Rudolph and Chris Cooke added 168 for the seventh wicket before the riposte continued in a spirited fashion as Andrew Salter and Lukas Carey added 124 for the ninth wicket with a flurry of savage blows. Michael Hogan then took 5/38 as Worcestershire’s batsmen capitulated to leave Glamorgan celebrating a victory inside three days.
New Road was also the scene of another dramatic - and successful - game for the Welsh county in 2016 as Owen Morgan, Glamorgan’s night-watchman ,batted throughout the final day to guide his side to a five-wicket victory and, at the same time, to post his maiden first-class century. His efforts followed a fine bowling spell by Graham Wagg, who claimed five wickets in Worcestershire’s second innings to leave the visitors with a target of 277 from 105 overs.
Worcestershire had recorded comprehensive victories over Glamorgan in their previous two meetings at New Road, with the game in July 2014 seeing the home side won by 249 runs after a century from Tom Fell, plus a twelve-wicket match-haul from Saeed Ajmal, the Pakistani spinner. Moeen Ali had been the star of the show for Worcestershire in the contest at New Road in 2013, posting a superb 250, with his efforts helping his side to enforce the follow-on as they bowled out Glamorgan twice before easing to an eight-wicket victory.