Match Preview: Worcestershire (A)

Derbyshire conclude their 140th season of first class cricket as they began it, with a game against Worcestershire who held out for a draw at Derby in early April.

Heritage Officer David Griffin previews the match.

Derbyshire return to New Road, Worcester for the first time since 2023 for a Championship fixture and this game will be the 155th scheduled between the two counties with Derbyshire having slightly the better of the results since they first met in July 1899. Derbyshire have won 49 times, Worcestershire 46, with 57 draws and two matches abandoned, at Chesterfield in 1946 and Worcester in 1969.

Derbyshire’s highest innings total is 625 for eight declared in that game in early April when Martin Andersson made a wonderful 228, the 59th double hundred for Derbyshire and the 18th at Derby. In the same match Luis Reece scored 114 while Harry Came, Anuj Dal and Caleb Jewell all made half centuries.

Although Worcestershire were forced to follow on, they batted for 120 overs in their second innings and with three wickets still to fall, the sides shared the spoils.

Worcestershire’s largest innings total of 560 was dominated by Graeme Hick’s 173 at Kidderminster in 1993, a match which the home side won by nine wickets.

Derbyshire players have made 55 hundreds in these games with Leus Du Plooy’s 238 topping the list, Andersson’s 228 is in second place while Billy Godleman (204) and Stan Worthington (200*) have also made double hundreds.

For the visitors, there have been 75 centuries with a best of 246 by Stephen Moore (who subsequently played briefly for Derbyshire) at Worcester in 2005.

Seven Derbyshire players have scored 1,000 or more runs against Worcestershire; Denis Smith with 1,492 made the most, followed by Les Townsend, Kim Barnett, Wayne Madsen, Arnold Hamer, Derek Morgan and Harry Storer.

Madsen’s four first class hundreds are the most for Derbyshire against Worcestershire.

Derbyshire’s bowlers have taken five wickets in an innings 91 times with Cliff Gladwin’s nine for 41 at Amblecote in 1952 the standout analysis. Gladwin ended the match with 16-84 – the second best match analysis by any Derbyshire bowler – helping Derbyshire to a two-day win by an innings and 57 runs.

His famous opening partner, Les Jackson, is the only Derbyshire bowler to take a hat trick against Worcestershire, grabbing two, one at Kidderminster in 1958 and the other at Derby in 1960.

Len Coldwell’s eight for 41 at Kidderminster are Worcestershire’s best innings figures with the best match analysis coming from Fred Root who took 12-104 to help his side to a 223 runs win. Root, born in Somercotes, had been on the Derbyshire staff between 1910 and 1920 taking 63 wickets. In 12 subsequent seasons for Worcestershire, Root took 1,387 wickets.