Northampton

(day two of four)

Worcestershire have scored 216 for three in their first innings against Northamptonshire (168)

Lunch

Worcestershire could not have asked for a better start to the second day, having lost all but ten overs of the first day to rain. With his first ball of a resumed over, Kabir Ali thudded the ball into Rob White's front pad and trapped him leg-before. In the next over, Steve Magoffin picked up his first wicket when Stephen Peters was too late in withdrawing his bat from a ball missing off stump and deflected it on to his stumps. After a maiden from Ali, Magoffin then got another wicket, with Riki Wessels driving airily and being caught at square cover. At this point, the home side were 33 for four.

David Sales, one of several players being watched today by Geoff Miller, the National Selector, led the rescue mission with Lance Klusener, adding 56 runs in 13 overs before Klusener, who had been badly missed at slip by Ben Smith on 20, departed for 30, steering a regulation catch to Vikram Solanki at gully to give Magoffin his third wicket.

Chris Whelan, a 21-year-old medium-fast bowler who signed over the winter from Middlesex, can feel very unlucky after having two chances go begging in his first over. Nicky Boje was caught at mid-wicket off a no-ball and then, two balls later, Sales was reprieved when he drove Whelan low and hard to Solanki at cover. It appeared to many to have carried, but the umpires gave Sales a second chance.

Boje departed shortly before lunch, caught behind cutting at Gareth Batty, and then Whelan finally got his reward on the stroke of lunch, Johan Louw edging to the wicketkeeper, to leave the home side in some difficulty.

Tea

The home team's batting difficulties continued after lunch, with David Lucas, David Sales and Monty Panesar all being caught behind off the bowling of, respectively, Gareth Batty, Steve Magoffin and Kabir Ali. It gave Steven Davies, the Worcestershire wicketkeeper, six catches in the innings, which may have impressed Geoff Miller, the National Selector, who was at the ground. Sales made a steady fifty but was the ninth man out shortly after getting to his landmark.

Worcestershire found batting much easier and had advanced to 88 by tea with only Daryl Mitchell back in the pavilion, caught behind for 36 off a ball from Lucas that rose steeply on him and caught the outside edge as he tried to cut. Stephen Moore completed his half-century off 64 balls shortly before tea. He has hit ten fours and looks in control, cutting and driving powerfully. Monty Panesar came on in the nineteenth over, bowling three tidy overs for only one single.

Close

Worcestershire erased the deficit with little difficulty after tea and were heading for a sizeable lead before David Lucas picked up his second and third wickets of the innings near the close to give them pause for thought.

Stephen Moore reached his hundred by dancing down the wicket to strike Nicky Boje to mid-wicket for his twentieth four and Vikram Solanki looked set to join him on the landmark tomorrow but on 64 he dragged a ball from Lucas on to his stumps and had to walk off, shaking his head. Moore really should have stayed to the close but he was gone, too, a tired stroke against Lucas getting a thick edge to Stephen Peters at slip. Play ended an over early at Moore's departure. With two days remaining, Worcestershire are strongly in the box seat but they need their middle order to drive home the advantage.

Northamptonshire will be waiting on the results of a scan tonight on the right hand of Alex Wakely, the England Under-19 captain, who was struck hard by Solanki when fielding at silly mid off.

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