WORCESTERSHIRE were forced to go to the wire in their eight-wicket victory over Derbyshire in LV= County Championship Division Two.

The New Road side were set a target of 126 from 30 overs in the final session of the last day after being held up by Garry Park’s impressive six-hour vigil at the crease.

The Derbyshire batsman hit 124 as the visitors were finally dismissed for 389 in their second innings after being made to follow-on on Wednesday afternoon.

The away side were once again indebted to their tail-enders as they provided more dogged resistance in Worcestershire’s quest for a third win of the campaign.

Having begun the day on 183-3, Derbyshire were 279-7 at lunch, giving the hosts hope that an early finish was on the cards.

But Park, Tom Lungley, Tim Groenewald and Steffan Jones ensured that Worcestershire would face a tense finale.

Yet Australian opener Phil Jaques, who had hit a fine 92 in the first innings, was in no mood to see himself slip back into the form of five ducks in six innings as he bludgeoned the Derbyshire attack.

The left-hander was in majestic touch, smashing the ball to all parts of the ground and all but single-handedly batted Worcestershire to victory in just 15.5 overs.

For the first time at New Road this term a Championship match went to the final session and those who decided to come on a whim were treated to a fine free day’s cricket.

For Jaques, whose superb 94 came off just 57 balls and included 17 fours and two sixes, it was a pleasing return to form.

“It was good fun because it was a nasty chase,” he said.

“The best way to go about it is to be positive and have a go. I didn’t really think about the 100 until the last couple of overs, then I thought ‘if it comes, it comes’.

“Then I thought I saw one right in the slot but unfortunately holed out on the boundary, but it was good fun and good to get the win.

“I think that we deserved it too, even though we couldn’t knock over the last couple again, but I think we dominated them for the first two days.

“Derbyshire did have a period when they came back at us, but we got the result we deserved.”

He added: “The championship runs haven’t been flowing for me as I would have liked.

“I feel I have been hitting the ball well since I have been here, but it was good to finally get a couple of scores in this game.”