Worcester (second day of four): Somerset, with eight first-innings wickets in hand, are 313 runs behind Worcestershire
The attempt by Nick Compton to become the first batsman in 24 years to score 1,000 runs by the end of May was ended in the cruellest of fashion by persistent drizzle rather than the Worcestershire bowling attack. “As ever, the English weather has let me down,” he said.
Given the disappointment of what he described as an anticlimax, Compton was remarkably phlegmatic. He had proceeded to nine not out from 22 balls, only 50 runs short when clouds that had hovered over the city finally opened at 2.36pm. Play was called off three hours later.
To add to the disappointment, his parents, Richard and Glynis, had come from their native South Africa to England for the first time in seven years, a coincidence of timing. Like the rest of a small crowd, they were denied a view of history at the playing home of Graeme Hick, the previous person to achieve the feat.
Compton had described the landmark as an “albatross around my neck” and it became a case of water, water everywhere that ended his attempt to join a roll call of eight other players. That list does not include his grandfather, Denis, arguably England’s best batsman since the Second World War.
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“I have had a few sleepless nights thinking about the possibility,” Compton said. “The more I read and thought about the illustrious names who have done it, like W. G. Grace and Don Bradman, the more I thought ‘wow’. I have not played international cricket as yet and this was an opportunity to do something quite profound. I should pat myself on the back for getting so close.”
As the rain thinned and the minutes passed, he joked about visiting Trevor Jesty and Martin Bodenham, the umpires, and pointing to the clearing sky. But the ground would have taken 40 minutes to mop up, making a return unfeasible.
“In the short time at the crease I felt quite relaxed,” he said. “Had we got out again, I think I would have spent three or four overs getting myself in, then looked where to score.
“I did not want to swing from the hip straightaway when I have been defending all season, but when there is a record like that, I think you can have a go.”
That he was able to bat at all owed much to fine swing bowling in the morning by Peter Trego, who bowled 37 overs in total for figures of five for 75. Worcestershire lost their last seven wickets for 38 runs in 20 overs, although not before Vikram Solanki completed his first hundred of the season.
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Worcestershire: First Innings (overnight 270-3)
V S Solanki b Trego 106
J G Cameron c Trego b Thomas 19
M G Pardoe lbw b Trego 5
G M Andrew c Hildreth b Dockrell 6
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†B J M Scott lbw b J Overton 1
D S Lucas b Trego 0
R A Jones c Kieswetter b C Overton 12
J D Shantry not out 10
Extras (b 8, lb 16, w 2, nb 2) 28
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Total (124.1 overs) 340
Fall of wickets: 1-100, 2-180, 3-237, 4-302, 5-302, 6-309, 7-310, 8-311, 9-324.
Bowling: Trego 37-11-75-5; J Overton 21-3-43-1; Thomas 25-10-63-1; C Overton 17.1-2-60-1; Dockrell 21-3-58-1; Suppiah 3-0-17-1.
Somerset: First Innings
A V Suppiah c Pardoe b Jones 1
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A W R Barrow c Scott b Lucas 10
N R D Compton not out 9
J C Hildreth not out 5
Extras (nb 2) 2
Total (2 wkts, 14 overs) 27
†C Kieswetter, J C Buttler, P D Trego, C Overton, J Overton, G H Dockrell and *A C Thomas to bat.
Fall of wickets: 1-11, 2-11.
Bowling: Lucas 7-3-12-1; Jones 7-2-15-1.
Umpires: M J D Bodenham and T E Jesty.