1989 was always going to be an exciting season for Worcestershire, the 1988 county champions. The team included several Test stars, Ian Botham among them. The most exciting prospect of all was Graeme Hick, the young batsman who broke records in 1988 and is due to qualify for the England side in 1991. His is one half of the story; the other is that of Graham Dilly, for the last few years England's leading strike bowler, whose career has been dogged by injury. Their diary includes an account of the secret negotiations leading up to the South African tour, which seemed to mark the end of Dilley's Test career and provides a perspective on the disastrous Ashes series.