Mourning Josh Baker and ravaged by the climate crisis, the county have made the most of limited means

Somerset could still win their first County Championship title, while Surrey remain on for the three-peat. Gloucestershire’s victory in the T20 Blast was particularly rousing – watched by David Lawrence, their club president so visibly confronted by the effects of motor neurone disease – but Worcestershire’s tale may be the most remarkable of the summer, one of existential questions, tragedy and on-field joy.

Promotion to Division One was followed by winter floods – eight in total – that ravaged New Road, the club’s idyllic ground by the River Severn. The venue is familiar with flooding, leading to the odd strange anecdote. “We’ve had players who have left their cars for overseas tours that have been seen floating along the car park,” says the head coach, Alan Richardson.