OPENER Daryl Mitchell says Worcestershire “won’t be far away” in the relegation battle if they reproduce the form evident at Scarborough and for most of the game at Southport.

The County host Hampshire from Tuesday (10.30am) on the back of a superb win at Yorkshire and narrow defeat at Lancashire in a game they dominated for lengthy periods.

Only nine points separate the fifth and eighth-placed teams heading into the final month of the Specsavers County Championship Division One season.

Mitchell said: “It was a game (at Southport) we thought we could have won but having said that I don’t think we did much wrong on that last day.

“We played some good cricket for long periods and were probably the better side for seven of the nine sessions.

“Unfortunately that one partnership at the end (between Dane Vilas and Josh Bohannon) got away from us but sometimes you have to take your hat off and say well played to the opposition.

“Obviously we were down, disappointed for the hour or so after the game, but then you realise you’ve got to move on and look at the table. We are still only a few points from safety.

“It is onto the next game and if we perform at the same level as we did at Scarborough and Southport then we won’t be far away.

“We’ve got three out of the last four games at home and you know your conditions better than anyone else.

“But ultimately you’ve got to go and play your best cricket and perform well for long periods over the four days.

“It is an exciting month ahead of us with everything to play for in both the T20 and the four-day format."

Spinner Ben Twohig drops out of the squad who featured at Southport with all-rounder Ross Whiteley and paceman Pat Brown added.

Worcestershire from: Mitchell, Fell, Clarke, Milton, D’Oliveira, Cox, Whiteley, Barnard, Parnell, Tongue, Pennington, Brown.