Shantry puts Worcestershire on top

Leicestershire 181 v Worcestershire308 and 62 for 2
Scorecard

A battling innings of 74 from veteran Paul Nixon was not enough to prevent Worcestershire taking command of their County Championship Division Two game against Leicestershire at Grace Road.

Despite Nixon's efforts Leicestershire were bowled out for 181 with Worcestershire's young left-arm seamer Jack Shantry claiming career-best figures of 5 for 49. Nixon batted for nearly four-and-a-half hours to help Leicestershire avoid following on but Worcestershire still gained a first-innings lead of 127. By the close they had increased that to 189 reaching 62 for 2 in their second innings before bad light ended play three overs early.

Apart from 39-year-old Nixon none of the other Leicestershire batsmen ever looked set against Worcestershire's battery of seam bowlers, splendidly led by 22-year-old Shantry. He took four of his wickets in a 20-over spell either side of the lunch interval and then returned to wrap up the home side's innings with the final wicket of Nathan Buck. The early damage had been done by Richard Jones who dismissed openers Will Jefferson and Matthew Boyce with only 38 on the board.

And when Shantry then struck to have James Taylor caught behind as he tried to drive, the home side's problems began. Australian Andrew McDonald became another Shantry victim when a fine delivery saw him edge to second slip and the left-arm seamer then trapped Jacques du Toit lbw for a duck.

That left Leicestershire in disarray at 85 for 5 but Nixon, assisted by Tom New, at least managed to edge them nearer the follow-on mark of 159. The two of them shared a vital stand of 39 for the sixth wicket and after New's departure Claude Henderson joined forces with Nixon for another important partnership for the eighth wicket.

Henderson was the second highest scorer with 23 and when Nixon finally fell to a superb delivery from Jones he had batted 261 minutes, faced 210 balls and hit 10 boundaries. Shantry was well supported by Jones who finished with 3 for 49 and Alan Richardson who took 2 for 45.

Although Worcestershire lost two quick wickets when Matthew Hoggard had Phil Jaques lbw for his second duck of the match and Vikram Solanki was caught at cover off Buck, they recovered to reach the close in a healthy position at 62 for two.