Worcestershire batsmen make slow but steady progress

Worcestershire, having chosen to bat first, laboured through the first day but thanks to a century opening partnership between Elliott Wilson and Philip Weston laid the platform for a sizeable first innings total. Four late wickets will give Notts hope of dismissing the home county on the second morning though when Worcs will resume on 248-5.

91-0 at lunch, both Weston and Wilson passed their half centuries shortly afterwards but were parted when Paul Reiffel induced Weston to nick the ball through to Chris Read.

Wilson maintained a watchful vigil, often his score was less than the number of overs bowled, but he had ground his way to 74 not out by tea. In gloomy, overcast conditions after the break he played a supporting role as Paul Pollard, tried to be the aggressor with his highest Championship score since May last year.

Jason Gallian, the Notts skipper, rotated his bowlers regularly and although wickets were hard to come by, the scoring rate was always kept in check on a fairly lifeless surface. Wilson only scored 11 runs in the first eighteen overs after tea as the pressure of getting in sight of the third first class century of his career began to mount.

The Worcestershire 200 didn't come up until the 92nd over, courtesy of a fluent square cut by Pollard off the bowling of 'AJ' Harris, in the same over a more 'uppish' drive through the covers took him to his 50, off 148 balls with 9 x 4's.

Pollard wasn't to add many more runs though as, on 53, he played on to a ball from Jason Gallian. It looked as if the batsman had tried to leave the delivery but the ball just flicked the underside of the bat and dislodged a bail. Pollard and Wilson had added 93 for the second wicket in 43 overs.

The dismissal of Pollard brought David Leatherdale to the crease. Leatherdale, who had scored a century when the sides met at Trent Bridge last month, survived a confident shout for lbw first ball from Gallian, bouyant after capturing only his second wicket of the season.

A streaky four through slips took Wilson to 97 and the 23 year old reached three figures with a legside push off Harris. His hundred had come off 258 balls, with 15 boundaries and arrived in the 98th over.

In rapidly fading light Notts picked up a third wicket and with it their first bonus point. Century maker Wilson drove loosely at a widish delivery from Harris and Gallian at point pouched the catch.

Worcestershire sent in Matthew Rawnsley as nightwatchman but after a couple of streaky shots he fell lbw when Reiffel took the new ball. More success followed in the next over when Ryan Driver fell for a duck, also lbw, not playing a shot at Harris. Worcestershire had lost wickets in three consecutive overs and needed Leatherdale and Kadeer Ali to see them through tot he close.