Jacob Duffy hailed a “relief and a response” after a composed team performance saw Worcestershire wrestle back control on the opening day against Essex at Chelmsford in the Rothesay County Championship.
The New Zealand seamer produced his best performance in Worcestershire colours to date, finishing with 4-39 on a pitch offering assistance throughout, as Essex were dismissed for 179 inside 59 overs. Duffy’s efforts, backed up by three wickets from Matthew Waite and disciplined support across the board, helped the Pears set the tone from the outset after being asked to bowl first.
Reflecting on a day that saw 14 wickets fall, Duffy was satisfied not just with the movement off the surface, but also with how the bowlers maintained pressure and consistency after a tough week at Headingley.
“It’s been a relief, I’m not going to lie,” Duffy said. “Last week was a bit of a blip on the radar, hopefully. It wasn’t us at our best. It was a bit of a learning experience, but we’ve bounced back well here, and it felt like we got into a much better rhythm from the start.”
It was Duffy who made the first breakthrough of the day, knocking over Paul Walter with a nip-backer that knocked two stumps out of the ground, before trapping Charlie Allison lbw in his next over. Returning later in the innings, he removed Jordan Cox and Shane Snater with well-directed seam movement and bounce, fully utilising a hybrid pitch he admitted he had never encountered before.
“To be honest, I didn’t really know what to expect from a hybrid wicket,” he said. “It’s my first time playing on one in England. But it did look greener than normal, and there was definitely something in it all day, extra bounce, seam, the odd one that skidded. It’s the sort of pitch where you’re going to get something out of it for all four days, I reckon.”
Despite the bowlers’ efforts, Worcestershire faced a stern examination themselves in the evening session, slipping to 22-4 under gloomy skies and persistent movement. But an unbroken 76-run stand between Adam Hose (39*) and captain Brett D’Oliveira (31*) stabilised the innings and ensured honours ended just about even.
“We knew it wasn’t going to be straightforward with the bat,” Duffy added. “They got a bit out of the surface as well and we were under pressure early. But that partnership between Adam and Dolly has put us in a really good position. To be four down and to counter-punch like that, it’s exactly what we needed. That’s the way to go about it on pitches like this.”
Duffy also praised the mentality of the group to respond with character following the defeat at Yorkshire, and believes that if Hose and D’Oliveira can continue where they left off, Worcestershire can move into the ascendancy on Day Two.
“We made Essex play tough shots off good balls, that’s all you can ask for as a bowler,” he said. “We’ve given ourselves a platform now, and it’s about making it count.”
With the game finely balanced heading into the second morning, Worcestershire know that extending their first-innings effort with the bat will be crucial in what could be a low-scoring, seam-dominated encounter.
“There’s still plenty of work to do,” Duffy concluded, “but we’ve started well, and we’re right in this match.”
