Welcome to King Pears on CounterPress

When Worcestershire won the last of their County Championships – so far – in 1989, coverage of county cricket was thriving.

Local newspapers carried regular reports, news and features, and there were a host of national correspondents present at each first-class match.

Fast forward less than four decades and things have changed significantly. Column inches on county cricket are now few and far between. Football is king. 

BBC Hereford and Worcester and its correspondents, including Dave Bradley and Frank Watson, do a superb job covering the county club day in and day out, but the written word is so, so valuable. 

And that’s where King Pears comes in, under the banner of CounterPress, who have other sites such as The Rey at Surrey, The Hawk at Hampshire, Lanky Lanky at – guess where? - Lancashire and, whisper it quietly, The Bear at Warwickshire.

The three journalists who will be combining to write and edit King Pears aim to fill the current void and bring you bespoke coverage of cricket in your county.  Although Worcestershire as a club have been – as usual - immensely supportive and helpful in terms of this exciting project, out coverage will be absolutely independent.

There will be features, news, interviews and some match reports from the men’s and women’s senior teams throughout the summer along with words on disability cricket, the recreational game, league cricket, and much more, including historical features on players even Bradders doesn’t remember. 

We have two core aims. To inform and entertain. 

This is going to be a fun ride, and we’d love you to join us.

Who are we?

Paul Edwards is widely considered to be amongst the best cricket-writers in the country. His elegant style brilliantly captures the charms and idiosyncrasies of the unique world of county cricket. Paul is among the most original thinkers in cricket journalism and his skills are now here for readers of King Pears to savour. He also makes regular pilgrimages to New Road but also covers cricket for his local paper, The Southport Visiter. (He calls it “keeping it real”; we think he needs the money.)

Brian Halford has covered county cricket, largely in the West Midlands, since 2000 for newspapers and radio. A regular in the press box at New Road over the last ten years, he will be mobilising his many contacts at the county, both current personnel and from back over the years, to deliver exclusive interviews and features for readers of King Pears.

Aaron Viles is a familiar voice and face on the county circuit, and in Midlands’ cricket generally, as a presenter, podcaster and commentator. His close connections with the club game across the region will bring another great dimension to King Pears with regular in-depth features on clubs around our patch.