Tom Taylor four-for keeps Worcestershire revival on track

Tom Taylor continued his excellent form with another four wickets as Worcestershire bowled Warwickshire out for 227 on the opening day of their Rothesay County Championship match at Visit Worcestershire New Road

Taylor took four for 37 as Warwickshire, having been strongly placed at 161 for two thanks to Sam Hain (86 from 152 balls) and Tom Latham (59, 153), lost their last eight wickets fell for 66 runs.

Worcestershire then rounded off a very satisfactory day's work by reaching a composed 53 without loss with Jake Libby on 39 (54) and Gareth Roderick 13 (42).

Warwickshire chose to bat but had to work hard for runs in the morning session as the seamers found plenty of lateral moment. Rob Yates perished to the seventh ball of the day, Taylor's first, when he edged an attempt to force through the offside to wicketkeeper Gareth Roderick. Alex Davies fell to the 118th when he was pinned plumb lbw by Matthew Waite.

Latham and Hain retrenched, the former solidly, the latter sketchily at first before settling into some glorious shots, notably sixes down the ground off Taylor and pulled off Ethan Brookes. The third-wicket pair batted diligently to add 109 in 32 overs and were moving their side into ascendancy when Worcestershire struck three big blows in seven overs.

Brookes dismissed Latham with a lovely outswinger which took the edge through to the keeper and Beau Webster who sliced a drive to point. Ed Barnard, warmly applauded to the crease at his former home ground, soon returned to the pavilion nursing a 12-ball duck after edging Jacob Duffy to first slip.

Hain passed 50 for the first time this season and was within 14 of building it into a century when he edged Waite to second slip. Henry Nicholls accepted that catch and another one 18 balls later when Kai Smith edged Taylor to first slip.

Zen Malik dug in for a well-constructed 34 (58) which included a straight six off Waite to raise the 200 but his departure, lbw to Taylor, triggered the loss of the last three wickets for four runs in four balls. Taylor trapped Ethan Bamber in front and Chris Woakes, playing his first championship match of the season and only his tenth in seven years, edged Duffy to second slip.

It was an excellent collective effort from the home seamers, led by Taylor who has taken 15 wickets in the first innings of the last four championship games.

Worcestershire's reply started at a gallop with 12 from the first over from Bamber. Against an attack including Woakes and Chris Rushworth, each playing their first game of the season after injury, openers Libby and Roderick put 50 on the board from 68 balls.