[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

County Championship, Group One

vs Warwickshire

Day One

Morning: Pears won the toss and put the Bears in to bat on a cloudy Thursday morning shortly after a shower of rain. Skipper Joe Leach was briefly vindicated when he got a ball to swing away from counterpart Will Rhodes who edged behind for 10, but that wicket came from one of precious few chances. In addition to a couple of weak LBW shouts and an edge or two that fell short of the cordon, Pieter Malan was dropped low down at second slip in the only other clear-cut opportunity, and ominously, Warwickshire scored freely throughout the session, with Rob Yates finding the boundary more than once with straight drives past the non-striker's stumps. On 95-1 at lunch, it was unquestionably the home side's morning.

Afternoon: A breakthrough was needed, and after an uncharacteristically expensive morning, Ed Barnard provided it with the fifth delivery after the restart, getting a length ball outside off to nip back and strike the stumps while Malan shouldered arms, bowled for 32. Having already tied down one end and done his bit to strangle the run-rate, Brett D'Oliveira was then rewarded when Sam Hain went for a clumsy sweep and was bowled round his legs for 8. After more hard work in the field, a third scalp came courtesy of Leach coaxing a bit of extra bounce from a ball that Matt Lamb nicked behind for 11, and the Bears went in for tea on 198-4, still the happier of the sides, but facing a Pears fightback.

Evening: If dropped catches cost matches, this seemed a day when Worcestershire were determined to test that thesis to its utmost; before completing his half-century, Bears wicketkeeper Michael Burgess had an absolute dolly shelled at second slip, and would still be around at day's end to tell the tale. But thankfully there were wickets elsewhere to compensate, with Dolly accounting for centurion Rob Yates when he attempted to cut a ball and feathered into the keeper's gloves for 104. In the gathering gloom after six o'clock the second new ball was taken, and Barnard got a straight length delivery to seam away from Tim Bresnan, who was caught behind for 20. The pressure grew and grew with the tail exposed, and newcomer Olly Stone became the first victim of the season for the returning Josh Tongue when he tried to drive a full ball and lost his stumps for a duck; it should have become two in two when Danny Briggs edged his first ball to slip, but yet again the catch went down, and the Bears survived to stumps on 271-7. Another even session on a day which still marginally belonged to Warwickshire, with the Pears a wicket or two behind where they'd have wanted to be after putting the hosts in to bat, and left to rue the three big drops that would have seen them all out. But as things stand, the visitors are still well in the game, and will hope to contain or dismiss Burgess early in the morning before mopping up the tail as quickly as possible.