Worcestershire batter Adam Hose, whose first-class average hovered around 25, smashed a career-best 266 on day one (June 30) of the County Championship match against Hampshire at Southampton.
Worcestershire batted first against Hampshire at Southampton in the latest round of Championship matches. They suffered an early blow when opener Henry Nicholls was dismissed for a duck after just 12 balls, caught by wicketkeeper Ben Brown off James Fuller’s delivery. Coming one down, Kashif Ali then upped the tempo, striking nine fours in his 44 off 38 balls, before being trapped lbw – again by Fuller.
From there, the innings was dominated by captain Jake Libby and Hose (at No. 4), who added 395 for the third wicket. Hose was dismissed off the last ball of the penultimate over of the day, scoring a magnificent 266 off 253 balls, including 31 fours and seven sixes. Meanwhile, Libby was the more watchful of the two, grinding out 137 off 268 deliveries with 12 fours. Hose's dismissal gave debutant Dominic Kelly his first Championship wicket. Worcestershire ended the day at 456-3 after batting 96 overs.
Hose’s innings progression was particularly impressive. Barring a tough chance at short leg when on 69, he blazed through the milestones – reaching 50 off 74 balls, 100 off 126, 150 off 178, 200 off 208, and 250 off 240.
Match 73, Hampshire vs Worcestershire
vs
- Ball by ball Over
Hose: Reacted with my natural attacking instincts
Before this innings, Hose has only scored 2,086 runs at an average of 25.13 with only a hundred (111) to show to his name. The 266 on Sunday is not only his best score but also the highest score by a visiting batter at the Rose Bowl in first-class cricket. His score surpassed Phil Jaques’ 243 for Yorkshire in 2004 on this ground. It is also the highest score ever by a Worcestershire No.4, surpassing Damian D'Oliveira’s 237.
📖 Into the history books
— Worcestershire CCC (@WorcsCCC) June 29, 2025
Adam Hose has recorded the highest score ever by a Worcestershire player batting at number four (266), surpassing Damian D'Oliveira's 237 🍐
Here's every one of his 3️⃣8️⃣ boundaries! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/7aP1b1tUIj
“In the past, sometimes I went into my shell, putting a higher price on my wicket, as opposed to today, I just felt like I saw the ball and reacted with my natural instincts, which is to attack. And fortunately, today it worked,” said Hose, who had represented Hampshire at Under-13 and Under-19 levels. He was born and raised on the Isle of Wight, but never played senior cricket for them.
“It was my first double-hundred so it's cool getting the runs here. It is a long time since I left this club as a teenager, so there isn't much on that front. It is about trying to put as much pressure on with the bat as we know it could potentially be a tough couple of days with the ball,” he added.
Follow Wisden for all cricket updates, including live scores, match stats, quizzes and more. Stay up to date with the latest cricket news, player updates, team standings, match highlights, video analysis and live match odds.
