It was the equinox, and with it Betjeman’s melancholy autumn arrived in New Road. For much of the day as the Toms, Fell and Kohler-Cadmore, flat-mates in Worcester, ground the Middlesex attack into the turf with an unbroken double century stand, a watery sun brought a little warmth. But later, as the pair drilled their cover drives relentlessly to the yellowing horse-chestnut trees or the austere hotel diametrically opposite, the clouds began to roll over and a chill descended.
Eventually, as the light closed in, the umpires decided it was too gloomy for play to continue, unfortunate timing for Kohler-Cadmore who was left tantalisingly three runs short of what would be a maiden first-class century. But less so for Fell, who will resume on a career-best 167, a powerful innings that has contained 25 fours and a six, allowing him to pass 1,000 championship runs on the way. By then the pair had taken their fourth-wicket stand to 219 and the Worcestershire total to 329 for three, a lead of 231.
There was a futility in the Middlesex effort as if the batting collapse of the first day had knocked the stuffing from them: a match too far. The seamers were diligent enough and ran in hard but the ball failed to nibble around as it had on the first afternoon and there was a tendency, understandable, to over-pitch in pursuit of swing. Some of the driving was thunderous, easily beating the scouts who had been placed on the ropes.
The early successes, when Neil Dexter removed Brett D’Oliveira who toe-ended a loosening long hop to mid-on before dragging himself dolefully from the crease, and Tim Murtagh had Joe Clarke superbly caught by Ollie Rayner, diving away to his right at second slip, proved a false dawn.
Beyond that there was scarcely a false stroke from either batsman. Edges, few as they were, fell short and once Fell, late on when he had 158, threw the bat outside off stump at Murtagh and skied towards deep extra cover where Nick Compton made ground in but not quite sufficiently to be able to dive and scoop up the catch.
Only when Fell, then 76, hooked a bouncer from James Harris towards Murtagh at long-leg did a wicket look likely. But the fielder had crept in a few yards from the rope and the ball cleared his leap and landed beyond the boundary for six. It was that sort of day.
