BOWLING coach Matt Mason was effusive in his praise of the Worcestershire bowling unit after they combined in perfect harmony to deliver a welcome early-season four-day success.

On the back of dominating a rain-ruined draw at promotion favourites Hampshire in the opening game of the New Road side’s LV= County Championship Division Two campaign, the bowlers were again to the fore as Kent were dispatched in comfortable fashion.

Of the 20 wickets Worcestershire took to wrap up the victory, 16 fell to the seamers, who were rewarded for their consistent line and length on a slow, low, post-flooding wicket.

County bowling coach Mason, himself a master of accurate seam bowling during his playing days, said: “I can’t tell you how proud I am of the bowlers on a wicket which gave them absolutely no assistance at all.

“They had to work really hard for the wickets. I think, looking back, we were probably guilty of giving one or two wickets away when we batted.

“I don’t think any of the Kent batsman did that in their first innings. We had to work really hard for the wickets.

“To keep them at two runs an over for a long period of time meant they couldn’t get away from us.

“There were very few bad balls and that is testament to the hard work the guys have put in all winter.

“They have worked so hard on the basics of the game, hitting the top of off-stump day in and day out and being as patient as they can.

“They did that on the second day of the match and got their rewards.”

Mason added: “For our bowlers, it is all about focusing on the top of that off-stump and not doing it for just six balls in an over but for six balls in every over of a spell and being very patient, more so than the batsman.

“That’s what the guys have bought into and worked so hard at. With young attacks you are going to get bad days, we know that. We are going to have the odd bad day, the odd bad session. But, as long as we keep the plan simple, we know we can get back to doing it well.”