Mitchell backs up Leach five-for to put Worcestershire on top

Daryl Mitchell hit an unbeaten 80 as Worcestershire consolidated an increasingly powerful position at the end of the second day at the Ageas Bowl. At the premature close caused by bad light, Worcestershire were a healthy 221 for 3, just one run behind Hampshire's first innings total of 222.

Hampshire began the day 119 for 4 but lost their remaining six wickets in the morning session for the addition of 103 runs, pace bowler Joe Leach doing a substantial portion of the damage with 5 for 63. This took Leach's tally for the season to 23 and Worcestershire soon capitalised on his good work on a wicket that offered plenty of assistance to the pace bowlers throughout.

Mitchell and Richard Oliver put on 62 for the first Worcestershire wicket, Mitchell and Ton Fell added a further 94 for the second and as Hampshire ran out of ideas, Alex Gidman helped add another 58 for the third.

Hampshire struggled in the first session from the moment they lost James Vince to another disappointingly low score in what has so far been a poor season for the 24 year old about whom so much is expected. Vince had made 8 when he mistimed a pull against Leach and played on and apart from the obdurate Will Smith, newly capped by Hampshire, resistance was only spasmodic.

Adam Wheater was sixth out at 170 to a catch at the wicket by Ben Cox - his second of four in total - before Smith edged into his own stumps after making 40 to provide New Zealander Colin Munro with a wicket in his first over in first-class cricket in England. Ed Barnard removed Sean Ervine to another Cox catch at 205 and Leach returned to dismiss Danny Briggs and last man Brad Wheal in five balls to wrap up a good morning for Worcestershire.

In contrast Worcestershire found batting altogether easier when it was their turn, Hampshire having to wait until the 18th over before Gareth Berg induced an edge from Oliver that Smith pouched at slip.

Fell hit six fours in his 48 before Berg found another edge which Liam Dawson snared in the slips and then Gidman fell at 214 to a tumbling catch by Vince as stand-in wicketkeeper following a knee injury sustained by Wheater.

Mitchell's innings has so far occupied 202 balls and included eight fours and it was he who earned the highest praise from bowling hero Leach. "We have got a very high regard for him," Leach said. "He is the lynchpin of our batting and has not got as many runs this season as he would have liked. You could see by the reception he got when he came off the field how delighted we were for him.

"At this level if you bowl out a side for 222 you have to be happy. It vindicated our decision to bowl first. It was a very disciplined performance by our bowling unit. We aimed to keep the run rate down and while the first wicket was a long time coming on the first day, four fell quickly and we were able to maintain the momentum."

Hampshire coach Dale Benkenstein said: "Over the past year we have not played as poorly as this all round. Credit to Worcestershire they have stuck to their game plan, particularly in the field.

"We have been really poor and I am not used to that. They did not give us any runs, which was completely the opposite to us."