Northamptonshire v Worcestershire: Scores and report from County Championship Division Two

Match scores: Day three (County Ground)

Northamptonshire 1st inns: 238 all out (Wakely 49, White 47; Leach 3-36, Shatry 3-54)
Northamptonshire 2nd inns: 343 all out (Keogh 88*, Duckett 67, Kleinveldt 43; Lyon 3-94, Barnard 2-38, Shantry 2-50)

Worcestershire 1st inns: 434 all out (Mitchell 161, Kohler-Cadmore 76; Buck 5-90, Sanderson 3-74)
Worcestershire 2nd inns: 151-2 (Mitchell 78*, Clarke 34*; Kleinveldt 2-28)

Worcestershire won by eight wickets

Day three report

Daryl Mitchell led Worcestershire to a fourth straight Specsavers County Championship victory - but there was a serious footnote to the third day after Northamptonshire's Richard Levi was struck on the head while batting.

Mitchell made 78 not out in his second innings as Worcestershire comfortably chased 148 to win by eight wickets at Wantage Road.

Earlier, Levi had attempted to duck under a well-directed bouncer from Josh Tongue in the over before lunch and there was immediate concern for the South African, who received treatment at the wicket.

He was helped from the field and taken to hospital in an ambulance but later tweeted to say he had not suffered a fracture but was diagnosed with mild concussion.

Levi had been playing well, making 28, and being forced to retire hurt was a blow to Northants' chances of setting a testing target.

As it was, 148 was never likely to be too taxing.

Rory Kleinveldt did take two wickets, including extending Tom Fell's poor run having him caught at mid-wicket for 11, but Worcestershire again had Mitchell to steer them along as he followed up his first-innings 161 with a 68-ball half-century as he and Joe Clarke brought them home.

Northants did at least make their opposition work harder having been outplayed over the first two days, making 343 - chiefly through Rob Keogh's season's-best 88 not out - but were again hindered in setting a larger target by some soft dismissals.

Ben Duckett was among those left to regret their shot selection. Duckett had only gone past 50 twice this season in both red and white ball cricket before this innings and was looking for a score ahead of the England Lions series against South Africa A that starts on Thursday.

He resumed on 25 not out and survived two top-edged hooks that just evaded long leg and deep square respectively but found his touch with three boundaries in an over against Jack Shantry and passed 50 in 72 balls with nine fours.

But to the third ball of Nathan Lyon's first over of the day, Duckett went to paddle sweep a ball drifting towards off stump, missed, and was given out by umpire Patrick Gustard. Duckett walked off in great frustration in front of the England national selector James Whittaker.

His was one of only two wickets to fall in the morning session after nightwatchman Nathan Buck, having played a short ball barrage very competently, chipped Shantry's third ball of the day to mid-off.

But after lunch Northants failed to get a significant partnership together.

Adam Rossington never settled against Lyon and slapped a ball only just over the head of mid-off. He over-balanced to a ball that turned down the leg side and Ben Cox effected a very sharp stumping.

Kleinveldt provided a bright flurry including two sixes - one that cleared the perimeter wall of the ground into the houses along the Clarke Road - before he lifted Lyon to long-on.

In-between those dismissals, Steven Crook perhaps played the worst shot of the match, chipping Shantry straight to mid-on.

It meant Keogh ran out of partners.

Dropped on 28 by Tom Fell at silly mid on, he went through to his first Championship 50 of the season in 95 balls and seven boundaries - the pick of them a perfect straight drive against Joe Leach.

He was the one Northants player who showed the application for the situation, calmly adding 31 runs between lunch and tea, and had a partner stayed with him Worcestershire may have had a stiffer task in their second innings.

Day two report

Daryl Mitchell's 161 on the second day at Wantage Road put Worcestershire on course for a fourth consecutive victory in the Specsavers County Championship.

He helped his side take a first-innings lead of 196 and Northamptonshire were then reduced to 53 for two by the close of day two, trailing by 143.

Mitchell's 243-ball stay in a minute shy of six hours was his best score for two seasons, his 26th first-class century and first at Northampton. It was a typically dogged effort with 19 boundaries, few memorable strokes but a classic example of concentration and determination.

It set the game up perfectly for Worcestershire, who were eventually bowled out for 434, and when Joe Leach knocked out Max Holden's off-stump five overs into the Northants second innings and Alex Wakely criminally hooked Josh Tongue to long leg three overs from the close, it was an ideal day for the visitors.

Mitchell's tight technique and cool temperament was tailor-made for a day where Northants hoped to get back in the game and bowled far better than the first evening. But after striking in the seventh over of the day, the hosts were ground down, chiefly by Mitchell, who prodded, poked, pushed and pulled them out of the game.

He made only two Championship centuries last season but has taken only four games to match the mark this year, following up his 120 at Derby last week. Resuming on 52, he steered Worcestershire through an important morning session with the ball moving around under a good layer of cloud.

Ben Sanderson beat the bat several times and created a half chance against Mitchell who edged towards second slip on 61 but Wakely couldn't get down to his right to take the catch.

Apart from one airy drive edged past slip, Mitchell had the measure of the attack and went through to a century in 164 balls with 11 boundaries. He eventually fell to the ninth over of the second new ball, lbw to a very full delivery from Nathan Buck.

He shared 169 for the fourth wicket with Tom Kohler-Cadmore - a partnership that took 45.4 overs and did not have a modest Wantage Road crowd hurrying out of the bars. What it did do is snuff out Northants' vision of a recovery.

It took until the fourth over of the second new ball for Northants to make the breakthrough - Sanderson sliding a ball into Kohler-Cadmore's middle stump after he had gone past fifty for the second time this season in the County Championship in 101 balls with seven fours, his best stroke a perfectly-timed pull off Sanderson.

Just when it looked as if Northants had restored some pride with Buck completing a second five-for of the season, pegging Worcestershire back from 299 for three to 365 for eight, Leach and Jack Shantry added a fifty partnership in just 37 balls to raise maximum batting points - the pick of the strokes, Leach's lofted extra-cover drive for six en route to fifty in only 34 balls. Shantry's reverse-sweeps in his unbeaten 30 were also a sign that it was very much Worcestershire's day.

Day one report

Daryl Mitchell's unbeaten half-century made it Worcestershire's opening day at a sunny Wantage Road.

Having bowled Northamptonshire out for 238, Mitchell's 52 not out steered the visitors to 108 for two by the close, trailing by 130.

Having gone past 10,000 first-class runs for Worcestershire in making 120 at Derby last week, Mitchell helped Worcestershire back up their bowlers' earlier work with a typically composed knock. He struck five boundaries in going past fifty in 78 balls.

Mitchell shared an opening stand of 77 in 14.5 over with Brett D'Oliveria as Worcestershire made bright progress after tea. But Northants responded through Nathan Buck, who took out D'Oliveria's middle stump for 35, and Rory Kleinveldt, who pinned Tom Fell lbw for a six-ball duck.

Had Richard Levi held a diving chance when Tom Clarke had seven six overs from the close, the day would have taken a more even feel but just two down Worcestershire held the balance of the game.

The visitors did not contest the toss on a cloudless day and after a benign first hour, seemed justified in the decision with the wicket offering some assistance for the seamers.

The nastiest delivery was sent down by Jack Shantry, one that leapt off a length to take the shoulder of Levi's bat. The chance was spilled by Mitchell at second slip but Tom Kholer-Cadmore had time to turn around and complete the catch.

Rob Keogh, on his return from a finger injury, also received a decent ball. Ed Barnard got one to hold it's line from a full length and Keogh edged to Mitchell.

But the other two dismissals before lunch were entirely batsman error. Max Holden, opening the batting in place of the injured Rob Newton, drove Joe Leach lazily to point for an 11-ball duck and Ben Duckett's poor start to the season continued with a mistimed pull that brought a top-edge taken by wicketkeeper Ben Cox running back.

Alex Wakely survived a sharp chance to gully on 27 but reached 49 not out by the interval but he fell four balls into the afternoon as Northants slumped to 161 for eight among a combination of poor strokes and skilful bowling.

Steven Crook and Adam Rossington shared 48 for the sixth wicket. But Crook was lbw for 19, Rossington tamely chipped Shantry to midwicket for 36 and Kleinveldt smashed the same bowler to extra-cover for just nine.

Northants were begging for a partnership and found one through Graeme White and Buck, who shared 69 for the ninth wicket. White was the senior partner, cutting Barnard for four and driving Shantry over extra cover for six. He pulled Josh Tongue through mid-on to bring up the half-century stand - the first of the innings. He was last man out for 47 pulling Tongue to long-leg.

Buck played his part in the alliance and slog-swept Nathan Lyon for six over long-on and made 29 before edging Joe Leach to first slip.

Buck played his part in the alliance and slog-swept Nathan Lyon for six over long-on and made 29 before edging Joe Leach to first slip.