Barnett entertains with an ageless contribution

Gloucestershire 193-7 v Worcestershire

Kim Barnett, the oldest man in county cricket, achieved something yesterday that the whole of the Worcestershire team failed to do when these two teams met in the opening match of this season's Benson and Hedges Cup last month.

On that occasion Gloucestershire bundled them all out in 22 overs and created a bit of history by completing the victory in the shortest time ever. Yesterday, Barnett, the opening bat, dug in until the 49th over – an innings which must have felt as long as his distinguished career to Worcestershire.

Although he will be 42 in July and should by rights have used up all his lives, he was still handed a big slice of luck. Barnett was in the middle of his salvage job on the innings and well on the way to reaching 50 for the 106th time in limited-overs when he chipped a straightforward ball from Kabir Ali to Alamgir Sheriyar at mid-on only to see him spill the chance. It allowed Barnett to continue the repair work with his captain Mark Alleyne, the pair adding 90 for the fourth wicket as they pulled things around from 49 for 3, and helped provide a decent platform for attack.

The first man to go was Craig Spearman, adjudged lbw to a ball that looked too high and missing leg. He was quickly followed by Matthew Windows and Jeremy Snape before the fourth-wicket pair put up some resistance.

Barnett arrived at 50 off 102 balls and an over later Alleyne got there off 22 fewer deliveries. But he was not quite as fast with his response to a rash call for a single by Mark Hardinges, and an over after Barnett's departure he too found himself back in the pavilion. Thereafter it was a bit of a scramble for runs on an awkward, slow track.

But if the Gloucestershire innings looks inadequate – and there are eight balls remaining– it is nothing to what it might have been. They have, however, proved adept at defending lowish totals in the past as their run of 12 victories at home in this competition shows and believe they have got very near the sort of total – 200 or so – that both sides feel will prove tricky; so if the weather holds off then the few extra runs that the tail can acquire could prove crucial.

When heavy rain stopped play in mid-afternoon the Worcestershire wicketkeeper Steve Rhodes appeared in the media centre in search of a pack of cards, but whether it was to have a peek into the future or present him with an opportunity to win some money was not revealed. The weather does tend to deal from the bottom of the deck at times like this.