PEARS opener Daryl Mitchell has equalled his best ever campaign in terms of centuries in the County Championship in what he describes as a ‘feast or famine’ season.
The evergreen opener clocked up his fifth championship ton of 2017 in the victory over Gloucestershire at New Road.
That achievement was on a par with his efforts in 2014 – a season when only Hampshire’s James Vince scored more Division Two runs.
Mitchell scored all five of his hundreds that season away from New Road – against Hampshire at the Ageas Bowl, two versus Glamorgan at the SWALEC Stadium, against Leicestershire at Grace Road and Gloucestershire at Cheltenham.
This season his tons have been against Derbyshire at the 3aaa County Ground, Northamptonshire at Wantage Road, Sussex at Hove, Kent at New Road and this week’s sterling effort versus Gloucestershire.
It was Mitchell’s fourth hundred against the county’s local rivals and the ninth of his 28 hundreds to be scored at New Road.
“It’s been a bit of feast or famine this year. I’ve either got a hundred or nothing it seems.
“I think I’ve got two fifties and five hundreds. At least it shows I do capitalise when I do get a decent start.
“As an opener, a good conversion rate is quite important.
“I suppose all batters want to convert but, as an opener, you are going to get your good balls, you are going to get nicked off early, new ball bowlers on a fresh wicket, that is going to happen.
“So it is important when you do get in to try and make the most of those good starts.”
Mitchell needs 106 more runs to complete 1,000 for the season.
“A thousand runs will always be the benchmark for batters that you want to achieve in the season.
“There are two fewer games this year so it gets a bit more difficult but I’ve got just over a hundred more to get with three games left and hopefully I will get a few more than that.”