page_title: Worcestershire v Somerset, 1979
section_title: Summary
hierarchical_section_title: Worcestershire v Somerset, 1979 / Match / Summary
caption_attribution_description: English: New Road from Worcester Cathedral tower
context_page_description: In the final round of group matches during the 1979 Benson & Hedges Cup, a one-day cricket competition, Somerset County Cricket Club faced Worcestershire County Cricket Club at New Road, Worcester, on 24 May 1979. The result of the match would help to determine which teams progressed to the quarter-finals. If Somerset lost and Glamorgan won their match, Somerset, Worcestershire and Glamorgan would have been level on points; bowling strike rate would have then been used as a tie-breaker. The Somerset team, led by their captain, Brian Rose, realised that if they batted first and declared the innings closed after just one over, it would protect their strike rate advantage to guarantee their qualification. Somerset scored one run from their over and declared; Worcestershire took ten deliveries to score the two runs they needed to win. The match was completed in 18 minutes, and consisted of only 16 legal deliveries.
  Although Somerset's declaration was within the laws of the game, Rose was condemned by the press and cricket officials. The Wisden Cricketers' Almanack claimed that Rose had "sacrificed all known cricketing principles by deliberately losing the game".
context_section_description: The match was scheduled to be played on Wednesday, 23 May 1979, at Worcestershire's New Road ground in Worcester, but rain prevented play and the match was moved to the following day. The same thing happened in Watford, where Glamorgan and the Minor Counties were due to play. Although it was overcast and slightly wet the next morning, play started on time. Rose won the toss for Somerset and chose to bat, opening the batting himself alongside Peter Denning. Worcestershire's Vanburn Holder bowled the first over, which consisted of seven deliveries as it included a no-ball, to Rose, who did not play any scoring shots. The Somerset captain declared the innings closed at the end of the over. Somerset had scored just one run, which they were awarded for the no-ball, and Worcestershire only needed two runs to win. The players left the field for the ten-minute break between innings, and when they returned Glenn Turner and Alan Ormrod opened Worcestershire's batting. Colin Dredge bowled the first over for Somerset, and Turner scored one run from it. Keith Jennings bowled the second over, and Turner scored a single from the fourth delivery which gave Worcestershire the victory.
  Play lasted for just 18 minutes (of which 10 minutes were the interval between innings) and 16 legal deliveries. There were around 100 spectators at the ground, but many others were just arriving or still travelling when the match ended. Charles Burnett was supposed to select the man of the match, but in light of the nature of the game, he decided that it would not be appropriate to make such a selection.
caption: Worcestershire hosted the match at their New Road ground.
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