Ed Barnard recorded his best bowling figures of the season for the second innings running on day two of the Specsavers County Championship match with Durham at the Emirates Riverside.
The Worcestershire all-rounder followed up his 4-48 against Derbyshire at Kidderminster with figures of 16.4-3-42-4 as Durham were bowled out for 212 in 75.4 overs.
But Worcestershire found it an uphill challenge with the bat in their first innings and were bowled out for 151 with Riki Wessels top-scoring with 33 in the opener’s role.
Durham reached 26-0 in 11 overs in their second innings before play ended for the day at 7pm – an overall lead of 87.
Barnard picked up three of the four wickets to fall today after Durham had resumed on 122-6.
The 100 partnership between Ned Eckersley and Ben Raine came up in 175 balls and the former went to his 50 off 89 balls with six fours.
But he did not add to his tally against some tight and accurate bowling before Barnard made the first breakthrough of the morning.
Eckersley pushed forward and only succeeded in edging through to Wessels at first slip with the total 162-7.
Raine completed his half century from 140 deliveries with eight boundaries.
He found another useful ally in Brydon Carse and the pair had added 47 when Ross Whiteley struck with the last ball before lunch.
Carse (17) drove hard at a widish delivery and Daryl Mitchell clung onto the chance away to his left at second slip.
Raine went into the interval unbeaten on 77 out of 209-8 from 73 overs but the innings was soon wrapped up by Barnard after the resumption.
Nathan Rimmington (2) was smartly caught by keeper Ben Cox standing up to Barnard whose next delivery trapped Chris Rushworth (0) lbw.
Worcestershire club captain Joe Leach ended with figures of 24-7-68-2, Dillon Pennington 18-8-29-1, Charlie Morris 14-3-37-2 and Whiteley 2-0-9-1.
When Worcestershire batted, Daryl Mitchell (0) was leg before to a rising delivery from the second ball of the innings from Rushworth.
Wessels, promoted to open the innings with Josh Dell reverting to the number four slot, looked in good touch.
He cover drove and cut Rushworth for four, collected a boundary from a square drive against Raine who was then flicked over mid on for another four.
Callum Ferguson (11) – a century-maker against Derbyshire – was lbw to Raine and Wessels, having made 33 off 48 balls with five fours, was bowled by Gareth Harte at 53-3 in the 19th over.
The County went into tea on 72-3 from 27 overs with Dell unbeaten on 14 and Whiteley 12.
When play resumed, five runs had been added when Dell (15) was leg before to Rushworth and then Whiteley (18) played off the back foot and was caught behind off Carse.
Barnard (7) shouldered arms and was bowled by Raine and Brett D’Oliveira (5) chopped onto Rimmington at 113-7.
Leach and Cox added 31 in positive fashion for the eighth wicket before the latter pushed forward and was lbw to Rushworth for 24.
Joe Leach (19) became the fifth lbw victim of the innings – also to Rushworth and Pennington (3) was bowled by Raine.
Rushworth ended with 4-28 from 15 overs and Raine 3-31 from 12.2 overs.
