By Geoffrey Dean in the Parks
First day of three: Worcs 238-3 v Oxford Univ
GRAEME HICK said he felt that his batting this season had been below par until a fortnight ago. It was in perfect working order on a glorious spring day in the Parks as he moved with complete inevitability towards his 97th first-class century.
On Sunday, Hick took 24 off an over from former England tour manager John Barclay for Sir Paul Getty's XI against the Eton Ramblers, and yesterday he was no less clinical after opening his account with a streaky edge for four. Eighteen more followed as he timed the ball as sweetly as anyone could have done. His 124 came from 132 balls.
Hick said he felt in decent nick prior to the game, but he has not had as much time in the middle as he would have liked. Oxford's bowling was poor, but the pitch was a typically good one.
David Leatherdale also struck the ball beautifully in his unbeaten 97 from 146 balls with 16 fours, many hit straight. With Hick, he added 210 at five an over after both openers had gone cheaply. Philip Weston jammed a yorker on to his leg stump before Vikram Solanki was caught in the gully off debutant Salman Khan.
Play did not begin until 3pm following heavy overnight rain.
Day 2: Students take tumble
By Geoffrey Dean in The Parks
Second day of three: Oxford Univ (162-8) trail Worcs (310-3 dec) by 148 runs
AFTER the destruction wrought by Worcestershire, it was as if Oxford were reluctant to disturb the tranquillity here on a warm, dreamy day.
The long lines of trees, looking magnificent in the sunlight, were in full bloom but the same could not be said of the students' strokeplay as they subsided to 162 for eight from 84.3 overs.
There were pluses for both sides, nonetheless. David Leatherdale's entertaining unbeaten 134 in 192 balls was followed by a long and steady spell from 6ft 2in left-arm spinner Matt Rawnsley, who took his first five-wicket haul.
He has worked hard on his action in the winter and now bowls with a higher arm, enabling him to get more bounce.
For Oxford, the Australian Byron Byrne played some punchy shots in his 69. Both wicketkeepers, Jez Barnes and the Bradford-born James Pipe, kept tidily on their first-class debuts. Barnes, who will be ordained next year, has become the first future priest to represent Oxford since Steve Wookey 20 years ago.
Wookey gained brief notoriety for dismissing Geoff Boycott for nought and one in the same match. On his way to the nets immediately afterwards, Boycott was asked live on Radio Oxford what he thought of Wookey's bowling. ``Who the ****'s Wookey,'' came back the reply.
Nowadays, he is a vicar in Moreton-in-Marsh.
Day 3: Rawnsley's rich haul
By Geoffrey Dean in The Parks
Worcs (310-3 dec & 93-0 dec) bt Oxford Univ (162-8 dec & 126) by 115 runs
MATT Rawnsley, Worcestershire's tall left-arm spinner, took his second career-best figures in two days to engineer victory with 14 overs to spare.
Defending a target of 242 on a pitch offering some turn, Rawnsley's return of six for 44 gave him match figures of 11 for 116. His last victim, David Mather, is out for a month after breaking a finger taking a catch.