Cricket: Worcestershire Academy host series against Ireland under 19s

The fixtures have become a regular part of the fixture list in recent seasons and the two sides will take on each other in all formats of the game.

Red-ball cricket will be the order of today and tomorrow with a two-day fixture at Stourbridge.

The emphasis will switch to white-ball cricket on Thursday with a 50-over match at Kidderminster.

Chester Road will again be the venue on Friday when two T20 matches will take place.

The academy gained a thrilling one-run success over South and South West Under 15s in a 50-over encounter at Bromsgrove.

The visitors were left a 199 target and came to the last over from Ryan Wheldon needing six for victory with one wicket left.

The equation became two from two balls when Jamie Baird went for a single after playing the ball to backward point but he was run out by Aaron Thomson’s direct hit at the non-striker’s end.

Thomson had also been one of a trio of young spinners along with Oliver Cox and Freddie Fallows who bowled well for the academy.

Between them they bowled a combined total of 27 overs for 80 runs and four wickets.

Worcestershire were put into bat and dismissed for 198 with their innings built around a fine knock of 73 from Alex Hinkley.

He went in first wicket down and hit 73 from 96 balls with two sixes and eight fours before being sixth out at 130.

Oli Caswell helped him add 59 for the second wicket and then useful runs from the lower order carried the academy total close to 200.

The South-South West got off to a fine start to their reply with openers Henry Smeed (52) and James Coles (21) putting on 76 in 14.4 overs before Thomson picked up two quick wickets.

But after Smeed’s departure, third out with the total on 113 in the 25th over, the efforts of the spinners and Jamie Hammond pegged them back.

Wickets then fell at regular intervals to set up the exciting finale. Hammond finished with 3-35, Thomson 2-25 and Fallows 2-32.