[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

County Championship, Division Two

vs Leicestershire

Day One

Morning: Worcestershire won the toss and elected to bat on a blustery, wet and unconscionably chilly Thursday morning in Leicester; a day that screamed April 7th from the grey Midland rooftops. There were eyebrows raised among the Pears faithful at the decision of Brett D'Oliveira to bat in the most thunderingly obvious bowling conditions since the Spanish Armada persuaded Francis Drake to hit the lawn and lob a few underarmers, but with the first session lost entirely to rain, there was a chance it might prove a wise and far-sighted choice later on.

Afternoon: Yet more frustration as the showers came and went with vernal regularity, prompting many an optimistic pitch inspection after half an hour's sunshine and a few promises that play would commence in fifteen minutes, only for the rain to sweep gleefully over Leicester again. No play possible, and an early tea taken.

Evening: At long last, the players took the field at ten past four, and at long last, the decision to bat transpired to be as infinitely deranged as it had seemed at half past ten. Ed Pollock was the first casualty of conditions, his Championship debut curtailed by a wicked ball from Chris Wright that swung back and beat his belated defence for just 5. But it wasn't just the weather against Worcs, as highly anticipated new man Azhar Ali demonstrated an early penchant for suicidally risky singles that proved his undoing at the second attempt, run out for 2 in a distinctly Laurel & Hardy fashion. With the dark clouds massing once more, there was time for Jack Haynes to be rather harshly adjudged LBW for 7 on the final ball before rain intervened yet again, and at 32-3 the teams left the field. The resumption at half past five saw Jake Libby foxed by a Wright delivery that he edged to third slip for 27, and with the visitors 45-4 it all seemed like an old familiar tale. But in spirited defence of his decision to bat, Dolly pulled out a captain's innings in the remaining ninety minutes of play to steady the ship with Ed Barnard, reaching stumps - with a couple of deserved lucky escapes - on a slightly healthier 118-4.

That partnership just about nudged the balance of play towards equilibrium after a storming Leicestershire start, but the rebuild must continue well into tomorrow if Worcs are to seize the initiative in this curtain-raiser.