Will Rhodes steers Warwickshire to safety as rain denies Worcestershire

Warwickshire 128 (Davies 58, Taylor 6-28) and 252 for 3 f/o (Rhodes 121*, Davies 65) drew with Worcestershire 307 (D’Oliveira 76, Waite 53)

Will Rhodes struck his third century of the season to steer Warwickshire to safety in their hard-fought Vitality County Championship draw with local rivals Worcestershire at Visit Worcestershire New Road.

The result leaves Worcestershire and Warwickshire 40 and 36 points respectively ahead of second-from-bottom Lancashire and both are strongly placed to ensure another campaign of top-flight cricket.

Former Warwickshire captain Rhodes is ending a seven-season association with the Bears at the end of the campaign to join Durham on a three-year contract.

He showed his quality in defying the home side’s push for victory after Warwickshire had followed on and were still eight runs in arrears with three second wickets down at the start of the final day.

Rhodes cover drove Logan van Beek for his 15th four to reach three figures off 198 balls.

When a heavy downpour post lunch ended play, the 29-year-old was unbeaten on 121 and needing just 46 more runs to complete 1,000 in a first-class season for the first time.

Rhodes was given excellent support by 18-year-old Hamza Shaikh (33 not out) in only his second Championship match.

Shaikh clearly enjoys batting at New Road as last month he scored 91 for England Lions against Sri Lanka in the tourists’ only warm-up match before the Test series against England.

He helped Rhodes add an unbroken 83 as Warwickshire went through the play possible on the fourth day without losing a wicket.

But Worcestershire can reflect on plenty of positives after defying their lengthiest injury list in living memory in virtually guaranteeing another season of Division One cricket after last summer’s promotion.

Away triumphs over Durham and Essex, after being firmly behind the eight-ball in both games, were evidence of their fighting spirit and belief.

Warwickshire resumed on 171 for 3 after being asked to follow on, still eight runs in arrears, with Will Rhodes unbeaten on 72.

Tom Taylor, who yesterday had achieved career best figures of 6 for 28, and Matthew Waite settled into a steady rhythm and beat the bat on several occasions.

Rhodes leg glanced Taylor for four to steer Warwickshire into the lead and then on drove Waite to the boundary.

There was no nervous 90s for Rhodes who straight drove and cut Waite to the ropes and brought up three figures off 198 balls with a cover drive for his 15th four off Logan van Beek.

The fourth-wicket pair were relatively untroubled although the second new ball brought a moral victory for Taylor when Rhodes on 119 edged just short of Brookes at second slip.

But Rhodes and Shaikh safely negotiated the morning session without being parted and added 75 runs in 31.4 overs.

There was only time for six more runs to be added at the start of the afternoon session before the heavens opened and play was abandoned at 2.20pm.

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