Worcestershire at Southport: A rich history of competition and friendship

Worcestershire’s cricketers have always been made welcome at Trafalgar Road.

This is not because they are yet to win here, having drawn three of their previous games (1959, 1969, 1975) and lost the other two (1979, 2018). Rather, it is because they have managed the difficult trick of being friendly, appreciative guests while also playing tough, competitive sport. If that latter quality has not yet resulted in victories on this much-loved patch of earth, it has certainly done so on many occasions around the country in the 67 years since, after much lobbying, letter-writing and large gins, County Championship cricket was first played here. Lancashire supporters could reflect that in that period Worcestershire have won five titles whereas their own county has managed just the one.