WE have approached the final three games of the 2023 season and Worcestershire remain in a strong position to gain promotion into Division One of the LV=Insurance County Championship. 

It has been a successful 2023 so far, with success across all formats of the game.

Worcestershire reached the knockout stages of both the T20 Vitality Blast and the Metro Bank One Day Cup, as well as putting themselves in the promotion picture in Division Two of the County Championship. 

In all formats, this has been the most successful season for Worcestershire in four years. They have racked up 18 wins in all competitions, which they have not done since 2019. 

Now, after a hectic month of one-day cricket, Alan Richardson's men return to red-ball action on Sunday when they welcome Glamorgan to New Road for a crucial four-day match.

As it stands, Worcestershire are in the second promotion spot in the table after four wins, five draws and just two losses in their 11 games so far.

Sunday's visitors are just 14 points behind Worcestershire, however, so it is a vital game for both sides. Sussex and Leicestershire remain in contention having played a game less the three sides above them. Durham are well clear at the top with 174 points in total.

After the game with Glamorgan, Worcestershire have a little bit of a break (just short of two weeks) before they host Durham. They then end their 2023 campaign with a trip to Yorkshire for a potential promotion party?

The departures from the squad have been big ones and it will no doubt affect them to lose the likes Josh Tongue, Dillon Pennington and Jack Haynes.

But despite that, other players have stepped up and have shown that it is not all doom and gloom at Worcestershire.

Gareth Roderick has extended his contract after a brilliant year, Jake Libby shows no signs of dropping his standards and in Azhar Ali, Adam Hose, Joe Leach and Matthew Waite they have experience and undoubted quality still at the county.

The club have recruited some new faces and we have already seen an impressive display from new signing Rob Jones in the one-day game. They have all-rounders Tom Taylor and Ethan Brookes also arriving for next season to make up for the losses, two players eager to play regular cricket.

But overall the attitude throughout the campaign has been commendable and they could yet end the year with huge success and what a great achievement promotion would be for this county in the first year of Alan Richardson's reign.