Matthew Waite and Logan van Beek led a Worcestershire counter-attack with the bat on a truncated opening day to the Vitality County Championship encounter with Lancashire at Visit Worcestershire New Road.
The pair joined forces at 56-7 after Lancashire’s new ball pairing of Tom Bailey and Anderson Phillip had exploited seamer-friendly conditions.
Waite went on the offensive on his return to action after missing the game with Hampshire at the Utilita Bowl because of a sickness bug.
He struck four sixes and two fours in making an unbeaten 47 from just 33 balls.
Van Beek also opted for an aggressive approach in making 24 not out from 19 balls with two maximums and two fours.
The pair had added 63 in just seven overs in lifting the total to 119-7 by tea but then the heavens opened again to end play for the day.
Heavy overnight rain meant play did not get underway until 1.55pm.
Worcestershire made two changes from the side in action against Hampshire at the Utilita Bowl with Waite and Jack Home replacing the injured Tom Taylor and spinner Amar Virdi.
Lancashire kept faith with the side which had defeated Somerset at Emirates Old Trafford.
Red Rose skipper Keaton Jennings opted to put the home side into bat after winning the toss.
Tom Bailey’s second delivery of the opening over accounted for Gareth Roderick who drove at a ball of full length which was swinging away and edged to Will Williams at fourth slip.
Jake Libby square cut Anderson Phillip for four but then nicked another ball which moved away to Harry Singh at third slip.
Rob Jones was undone by an excellent full length swinging delivery from Phillip and was caught behind.
Kashif Ali only succeeded in steering Bailey to first slip and then Club Captain Brett D’Oliveira pushed forward to the same bowler and fell at second slip.
Adam Hose off drove Bailey to the ropes to move into double figures but it became 39-6 when Ethan Brookes played forward and was bowled with a fullish length delivery which did just enough to nip away.
Phillip came back into the attack to replace Bailey after a superb opening spell of 8-4-9-3 and he soon claimed his third scalp when Hose tried to on-drive a delivery slanted towards leg stump and ended up deflecting to Jennings at second slip.
Waite decided attack was the best policy and pulled and on drove Williams for sixes in his first over which cost 15 runs.
Logan van Beek also went on the attack and he struck Balderson and Williams for further maximums.
By tea the eighth wicket pair had added 63 in just seven overs.
Worcestershire all-rounder Joe Leach said: “It was entertaining wasn’t it. A lot happened considering there were only 20 odd overs play.
“It felt like a big toss to lose with all the weather that has been around, a helpful wicket which they exploited very well, and I’m not sure our batters did that much wrong to be honest.
“The new ball this season at New Road has been challenging for batters to get through and the feedback coming back was that it was a really challenging surface to bat on.
“That kind of dictated the way that Waitey and Logan played. A challenging start but credit to Waitey and Logan at the end with that counter punch. I wouldn’t want to comment on what a par score is.
“It is really difficult to know. It is certainly nowhere near that yet but gives us some momentum going into tomorrow which, in these nip and tuck games, is really important.”
Leach, who is retiring at the end of the season, said: “I’ve kind of sleepwalked into this week. I’ve not consciously ignored that it was coming but today it has hit me hard.
“I was really nervous this morning. I was up really early and had butterflies in the stomach like it was my first game
“The fact we haven’t bowled yet has been a bit of a benefit and allowed me a bit of time to get my head around it.
“A lovely gesture from the club with the presentation at lunch-time today and it’s not going to be the first time this week I’m going to be close to tipping over the edge emotionally. A very lovely day.”
