Worcestershire’s resilience shone through on day three of their Vitality County Championship clash against Essex at Chelmsford, as they turned a 138-run first-innings deficit into a commanding 165-run lead.
Jake Libby laid the foundation with a gritty 65, while Brett D’Oliveira (51) and Adam Hose (64) forged a crucial 80-run partnership to erase the arrears and give Worcestershire hope of a third consecutive victory.
Essex’s attack, led by Simon Harmer’s 3 for 110, kept the visitors in check, but the Worcestershire batsmen showed determination and resilience to overcome the challenge.
Nightwatchman Joe Leach departed early, but Libby and Kashif Ali steadied the ship with a 51-run stand. Paul Walter broke the partnership, but Libby remained resolute, reaching his fifty from 90 balls.
Rob Jones joined Libby and took a liking to Harmer, hitting four boundaries in quick succession. However, Libby’s dismissal and Jones’s subsequent departure left Worcestershire in a precarious position.
Hose and D’Oliveira dug in and gradually built a partnership, frustrating the Essex bowlers. They added 31 runs in four overs before Matt Critchley dismissed D’Oliveira.
Harmer returned after the tea break and claimed the wicket of Hose in extraordinary fashion, with the ball turning prodigiously to hit the stumps. Ethan Brookes also fell to Harmer, leaving Worcestershire with a lead of 125 runs.
As the light deteriorated, Essex declined to take the new ball, but the umpires deemed it too dark to continue after 80 overs. Worcestershire will resume on the final day with a significant advantage, looking to secure a vital victory in their bid to avoid relegation.
