One-Day Cup final: Worcs beat Hants by three wickets in dramatic final over

For long periods of the day, completing a game of cricket seemed unlikely and even less so such a compelling finish.

But it was a glorious outcome for Worcestershire, a county used to overcoming the odds as they showed lots of spirit and no little skill, all the while wearing shirts in memory of their former player Josh Baker, who died last year aged just 20.

Captain Jake Libby won the toss and asked Hampshire to bat as Orr set his stall out from the beginning as he cracked the first ball of the innings from Tom Taylor for four.

The opening stand between him and captain Nick Gubbins had risen to 82 before captain Gubbins was squared up by Waite and caught at backward point for 38.

Players went off after 22 overs for the first stoppage at 106-1 and in the second chunk of 8.5 overs, Hampshire added 35 runs for the loss of Fletcha Middleton for 18.

When the innings started for a third time, it was reduced to 45 overs and Worcestershire picked up the wickets of Toby Albert for 13 and Ben Mayes for two to make it 169-4.

But Orr carried on, going from 87 to his century in three balls off Waite – six, four, four – to bring up his third One-Day Cup hundred this year from 118 deliveries.

However once Orr departed, Hampshire’s knock lost impetus as they managed only 24 in their last five overs as the Pears’ all-seam attack did a fine job of keeping control.

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