CAPTAIN Daryl Mitchell says winning promotion with Worcestershire’s class of 2014 is the most satisfying of his career.

This season’s success is the fourth time the 30-year-old has gone up to County Championship Division One with the New Road side following triumphs in 2006, 2008 and 2010.

Although he was at the helm in 2010 after taking over from Vikram Solanki in August of that year, this is his first promotion following a full campaign as skipper.

Added to the fact the achievement has been built on the talents of a burgeoning squad, that was nurtured by director of cricket Steve Rhodes and the late Damian D’Oliveira, Mitchell takes great pride in what has been accomplished.

“For me, this is probably the most satisfying,” he said.

“I don’t think anybody gave us a chance of promotion at the start of the year, certainly the bookmakers and all the so-called experts in the press wrote us off, so it’s always nice to prove a few people wrong.

“To do it with a game to spare was a tremendous effort.

“I am very proud. This is my first promotion being captain for the full year and I have watched these kids grow up from the academy through to second team and first XI.

“To achieve something with this group of players means a hell of a lot.

“It was a disappointing way to finish with defeat at Essex but if you take the season as a whole, we have won eight of the 16 games which is a tremendous effort.

“It would have been nice to finish top but, to finish in the top two, we would have snapped your hands off at the start of the year so we’ve got to be happy with the way things have gone.”

Badsey-born Mitchell has led by example, scoring 1,334 runs at an average of 58 featuring five centuries.

But he has been backed by a supporting cast that has seen England all-rounder Moeen Ali, Alexei Kervezee, Ben Cox, Richard Oliver, Tom Fell and Tom Kohler-Cadmore all break the 500-run barrier in the four-day game.

With Charlie Morris and Jack Shantry joining Saeed Ajmal in taking more than 50 Championship wickets, making Worcestershire the only county this season to have three players achieve that feat, it has been a team effort.

Mitchell said: “Going into the last game we had won three out of the six without Saeed so it shows there was a genuine all-round team performance.

“With young guys coming into the side and making their first hundred, and the wicket takers, it’s been really pleasing. It was an all-round contribution from the guys.”

The New Road skipper was also in no doubt as to the highlight of the past six months.

“The home win over Surrey was outstanding and probably slightly unexpected,” he added.

“We didn’t play particularly well in that game and to get over the line was a great achievement. Every time you win a game it’s a good buzz because a lot of hard work goes in to getting a four-day result.”