Worcestershire brings tribute to Josh Baker after a daily cup victory in Hampshire

The crowd was a bit thin and the rain was a bit too frequent. At a certain moment it seemed that the final of the Men’s Metro Bank Cup would need a second day to give up a winner, as was the case on this ground 12 months ago.

But in the end a tournament a lot diluted since the arrival of the hundred the kind of legendary climax produced that his hip new brother or sister still has to collect. Worcestershire, set 188 to win in 27 overs, Hampshire defeated three wickets with only two balls to claim to claim their first 50-over title for 31 years.

It was not only the way of victory-the rain-reddued target attracted at 7.12 pm despite the tumbling of Wickets but what it meant for all involved. Franchises pop up and disappear within a few weeks, while provinces are built on relationships that will be forged over months and years.

And in the case of Worcestershire, this has recently been set in setbacks. And not just cricket opposite. In addition to the annual floods on New Road, and although they have been at the mercy of provinces with much larger budgets, the pears have spent the past 16 months with something much more important: the tragic loss of Josh Baker.

A beloved teammate who just died of shy of his 21st birthday has never been far from thoughts since then, with the shirts of Worcestershire now with the name of the charity set up in his memory. After he had lifted the trophy, the captain, Jake Libby, made it a point to transfer it to Baker’s parents, Paul and Lisa.

“It has been a difficult few years, so it’s brilliant to celebrate a great day like this with the supporters,” said Libby. “We talk a lot about Josh in our dressing room. He was a special child and it was devastating what happened.”

The Hampshire players could not mislead their opponents this victory, even if their day ended on a lid. Kyle Abbott thought he had caught Henry Cullen in the depth with only four runs, just to brush the border sponge while he landed and before he let go of the ball. As soon as the repetitions confirmed that this was a limit, the balcony of Worcestershire broke out positively.

Perhaps there was no stopping of the pears, whether it was the feeling of the fate that they took in the latter or the form that meant that they were at the top of the southern group and Somerset then overcome in the semi -final. It was also a very Worcestershire victory, which was built on collective ingenuity instead of individual sparkle and a lot in the image of their highly respected head coach, Alan Richardson.

That said, Tom Taylor was shining with the ball for figures from one to 24 of nine overs, while Ethan Brookes came up at 93 out of 93 for three in the Run -stress and 57 cracks from just 34 balls was clearly the highlight. Just like a large number of players in their team, Brookes revived his career at New Road after he found himself excess for requirements in Warwickshire.

“It was all a bit of a blur, but I went out with the intention of trying to erase the ropes,” said Brookes, after I had done that four times. “To share such a special memory with Josh’s parents will certainly be a highlight of my career.”

Another to get a second chance on New Road is Matthew Waite, where the Yorkshireman smokes two precious late sixths after he had previously demanded three wickets. Below this, Ali Orr was caught and bent through a sharp caught, the opener ran away after a fine 110 of 130 balls that put 237 to seven of 45 overs on the board. On another day, ORR might have been the story.

The same could be said for Scott Currie, who flew back from the England tour through Ireland to play in this Stop-Start final and ended a five-wicking distance with a first list for his efforts. In the 20th right-hand libby, when the right stroke Libby removed from the Run-Achtervolging to leave Worcestershire 107 for four-81 runs still to go the trophy in one way.

Instead, due to the courage of Brookes and Abbott’s tumbling on the rope, it ended up in the hands of the Baker family and with a club that, despite their relegation from division, does one, so many things well. The hundred can get all the attention and the investment, but it meant something.