Centurions Ed Pollock and Gareth Roderick rewrote the record books in spectacular style for Worcestershire who launched their during Metro Bank One Day Cup with a crushing 183 run win over Middlesex at Visit Worcestershire New Road.
The opening pair plundered 259 off just 35.2 overs – Worcestershire’s highest first wicket List A partnership against all opposition in a total of 371-3 from 48 overs.
It surpassed the 243 by Club Captain Brett D’Oliveira and Jack Haynes against Essex at Chelmsford three years ago.
Pollock went onto amass 180 from 138 balls with five sixes and 21 fours, his second century in four days after his 120 not out against Wales in the National Counties Showcase fixture.
It was the second joint highest individual score for Worcestershire in List A cricket alongside former captain Tom Moody with only Australian Callum Ferguson (192) ahead of Pollock.
He left the field to a magnificent ovation after a controlled display of destructive hitting in what his own career best List A score.
Roderick’s contribution was equally significant and he employed the sweep, reverse sweep and characteristic flick off his legs to great effect.
He was the perfect foil to Pollock during the initial phase of his innings but then accelerated to such an extent that he scored his 115 off only 104 balls and also with five sixes in addition to 10 other boundaries.
It was superb entertainment for a good sized crowd and then Rob Jones, with an unbeaten 44 off 42 balls, pressed home the advantage.
Harry Darley, one of six Worcestershire One Day Cup debutants struck a trio of early blows with the new ball when Middlesex launched their reply to maintain Worcestershire’s ascendancy.
Another in Jack Home then chipped in with the next three wickets and a third in Tommy Sturgess polished off the innings with a trio of scalps as Middlesex were bowled out for 188 in 25.4 overs despite Mark Stoneman’s powerful 75 off 37 balls.
Worcestershire fielded an inexperienced attack with Joe Leach, Adam Finch, Nathan Smith, Ben Gibbon, Matthew Waite, Yadvinder Singh, Josh Cobb, Kashif Ali and Club Captain Brett D’Oliveira all absent through injury or illness.
Six players made their One-Day Cup debut in Home and Darley, plus batter Rehaan Edavalath and new signings from National Counties cricket in Tom Hinley(Oxfordshire), Hishaam Khan (Staffordshire) and Tommy Sturgess (Berkshire).
Middlesex had five senior players absent due to the Hundred in Stephen Eskinazi, Max Holden, Leus du Plooy, Ryan Higgins and Tom Helm and gave competition debuts to Nathan Fernandes and Noah Cornwell.
The 50 over encounter was played on the same hybrid pitch used for the recent Vitality Blast games with Birmingham Bears and Yorkshire Vikings.
Worcestershire were put into bat and Pollock started impressively.
He cover drove Ethan Bamber for the first boundary and then upper cut and pulled Noah Cornwell for two fours in an over.
The left hander pulled Blake Cullen to the ropes to bring up the half century stand with Gareth Roderick in 9.2 overs.
Roderick also started to accelerate and the Rapids reached 61-0 in the 10 over powerplay.
Pollock reached his third successive 50 plus score off 45 balls, containing seven fours and a six, with a single off Luke Hollman.
The runs continued to flow and successive fours for Roderick off Henry Brookes – brother of Worcestershire player Ethan – brought up the century partnership in 16.3 overs.
Roderick was the perfect foil in supporting the left hander as boundaries flowed constantly and he completed a 62 ball fifty.
Pollock moved into the 90s with a six backward of square off Blake Cullen and then a steer to third man off the same bowler enabled him to complete a superb hundred.
Roderick produced one of the shots of the innings to sweep Bamber for six and a similar shot for four off Nathan Fernandes raised the 200 in exactly 28 overs.
He then swept Nathan Fernandes for another maximum – his fourth – in completing a splendid 92 ball hundred which also contained nine fours.
The stand was worth 259 in 35.2 overs when Roderick attempted a similar shot against Fernandes and was bowled.
But then Jones provided staunch support in adding 93 in just 10.2 overs with Pollock who continued to score freely.
His memorable effort finally ended when he went for another big hit against spinner Nathan Fernandes and was caught at long on.
Ethan Brookes made a quickfire 10 before he fell to his brother Henry when caught at deep mid wicket in the penultimate over.
Darley was soon amongst the wickets when Middlesex launched their reply.
His second legitimate delivery nipped back and bowled Sam Robson and then a similar ball hit the top of Joe Cracknell’s off stump.
There was more joy for Darley when Fernandes aimed a leg side blow and popped up a catch to captain Jake Libby at cover.
Home came into the attack and struck when Jack Davies top edged a skier to fellow keeper Roderick.
He then had Stoneman caught behind when driving and Martin Andersson holed out to third man and the innings quickly subsided after that.
Brookes got in on the act by having Cullen caught at mid wicket.
There was a first breakthrough for Sturgess as Roderick accepted another chance and he then clean bowled Brookes and had last man Cornwell caught at mid on.
Ed Pollock said: “If you get in. you want to go big. Everyone has bad days and it’s about turning your good days into very good days.
“When I was on 60 I thought ‘this is where I go big’ and then myself and Rodders were chatting about when the score was 150 and what were par scores.
“It was nice to keep going at that tempo of seven an over relatively risk free.
“I had absolutely no idea about the records myself and Rodders have set apart from hearing the applause around the ground during the ground.
“They are nice to look on when you have finished playing but they are certainly not the reason why you play but it’s just nice to have them.
“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t eyeing 200 at the end there but given the scores I’ve had over the last two years, I’ll take 180.
“It was brilliant to watch those young guys today and bowl, Harry Darley and Jack Home we saw in the T20 and Tommy Sturgess.
“Harry Darley is getting better and better each time we see him.”
