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(day one of four: Worcestershire won toss)

Worcestershire 241-4 v Warwickshire

Lunch

Play on the opening morning of this top-of-the-table Division Two clash between the old West Midlands rivals was overshadowed by the announcement shortly before the start that Graeme Hick is to retire at the end of the season.

The club had talks with the former England batsman over the weekend, who reached his final decision on Monday. An elbow injury has kept him out of this encounter, but he fully expects to be fit to play a final farewell match before the end of the season.

Worcestershire made a bright start, reaching 71 in the 21st over, before losing a wicket when Stephen Moore was caught at mid-on, miscuing a pull off Neil Carter, having struck a positive 46. The home side should have lost a second wicket when Vikram Solanki edged Chris Woakes at a nice height to second slip, but Darren Maddy could not hold on to the chance. Solanki, four at the time, had reached 10 by the interval, with Daryl Mitchell unbeaten on 47.

Tea

Warwickshire fought back well in the hour before tea, when Neil Carter took three wickets in two overs to reduce Worcestershire from 200-1 to 204-4. Vikram Solanki, still unbeaten with 75 at tea, and Steven Davies, 24 not out, nevertheless steadied the ship with an unbroken partnership of 37.

It was Carter who broke the main stand of the day, 129 for the second wicket in 34 overs, between Solanki and Daryl Mitchell. The Worcestershire opener felt for a ball outside off-stump and got a faint edge through to the wicket-keeper. In his next over, Carter struck twice, first having Ben Smith caught at third slip, and then finding the edge of Moeen Ali’s bat with a good ball of perfect length and ideal line, just outside off-stump.

That took Carter’s wicket tally in the LV County Championship this summer to 33, while Smith, who made just one, recorded a rare failure after six 50s in his previous seven Championship innings.

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