11/09/00 - WRITING this, Worcestershire's season hangs on a knife-edge needing a win from the final game in the National League to guarantee safety. Defeat at Kent will see them in Division Two next year.

The championship is far less clear cut. When the penultimate round of games has finished, it is likely that there will be six teams bunched behind Northants, all within six points of each other and Worcestershire among them. The County need a win and a first innings total of more than 300 in their home game against Northants to give themselves a chance. And as we know, runs have not always been easy to come by at New Road this year

The permutations really are too many to consider here with bonus points and weather having a part to play. If teams are level on points, it goes on number of wins first and then least losses.

Enough of dry statistics, though, when this week has also brought news of the end of Richard Illingworth's playing career with Worcestershire.

Our careers largely coincided though he delighted in suggesting to me that, as he had played more first team games because of my time away at university, this made him the senior pro. This despite the fact that I had captained the callow Illingworth, along with Phil Newport, in their first trial match.

'Senior pro' was a role which Illy cherished with all of its associations of wisdom and wily skill. He has been a fine cricketer, worthy of his England caps and good enough to play in a World Cup final. Worcestershire fans will probably remember more for his consistently excellent one-day contributions, but he was bowling when Worcestershire won their first county championship for 23 years in 1988 and his spin bowling was an integral part of those successful years.

In truth, there was always a touch of Ambrose about Illy. Begrudging every run off his bowling, he was a fast bowler at heart and new batsmen were invariably greeted with his darting arm ball! He bemoaned the fact that batters were able to play with their pads against spinners and seldom be given out whilst seamers would often gain lbw verdicts.

Needless to say his pads were seldom in the way. He allowed himself the flat-batted slap through the covers as his one flashy shot; neat tucks off his legs were his stock in trade. As with all his cricket he had thought it through and it worked. He was a crucial part of the lower order which bailed Worcestershire out so often, the night-watchman who never dropped his lamp, as well as a vital member of the so-called one-day kamikaze squad.

So, be it in the first or the second division next year, the name of Illingworth will not appear on the scorecard, but perhaps it won't be so long before another Illingworth graces the Worcestershire colours in the form of Richard's sons, one of whom really does bowl left-arm fast.