[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

Day Two

Morning: Far from a perfect start to the second day as an early catch went down at second slip, granting a life to Ben Aitchison. The tail-ender didn't cash in too much on it though, reaching only 11 before he gloved a bouncer from Ed Barnard high in the air for a simple catch behind, granting the Pears maximum bowling points with just three deliveries to spare. The same bowler then wrapped things up with a wicked ball that sent Sam Conners' off-stump cartwheeling out of the ground for a duck, leaving the hosts 390 all out; an imposing enough score, even though it was thankfully under 400. Sadly, after his marathon last weekend it was always on the cards that Jake Libby would go cheaply this time round, and sure enough, he copped a first-baller from Conners for a duck. And there was still time for it to go from bad to worse as Daryl Mitchell was bowled for 9 by an inswinger from Fynn Hudson-Prentice, reducing Worcestershire to 25-2 at lunch.

Afternoon: It didn't get any easier or any better. After racking up his first runs for the county with a couple of boundaries, Gareth Roderick was the next to fall for a mediocre 12, caught and bowled by Matt Critchley. Alone among the top order, Tom Fell showed the intent and ability to stick around, scoring a 114-ball half-century in the process; however, he too had to return to the pavilion when a full, angled delivery trapped him leg-before for 69. And on the stroke of tea, Brett D'Oliveira became the fourth casualty of a fairly dismal session when he edged to slip for 27, leaving the Pears 135-5.

Evening: The standard Riki Wessels counter-attack kept the scoreboard ticking as the pinch-hitter reached his fifty off seventy-seven balls - five fewer than it took against Essex last Saturday - but unfortunately he couldn't go the distance, and was bowled by a googly from Critchley on 60. 217-6 became 231-7 when Ben Cox became the unfortunate victim of a ball ricocheting off his bat on an attempted leave, bowling him for 24. With Ed Barnard and Alzarri Joseph the last line of any serious batting resistance, it was vital that they reach stumps without further loss, and that they did, avoiding the follow-on in the process. But closing on 243-7, there's no disguising the mountain that now has to be climbed on the last two days.