Worcestershire v Northamptonshire: Scores & report

Match scores (New Road)

Result: Worcestershire beat Northamptonshire by 20 runs

Worcestershire 1st inns: 188 all out (Moeen 50, Clarke 33; Carter 3-51, Buck 3-53)

Northants 1st inns: 157 all out (Duckett 47; Leach 5-60; Hastings 3-60)

Worcestershire 2nd inns:  153 all out (Buck 4-42, Azharullah 3-50)

Northants 2nd inns: 164 all out (Holden 37; Leach 5-62; Tongue 4-45).

Day two report

Worcestershire made it two wins in a row in the Specsavers County Championship and ended Northamptonshire's 100 per cent start to the season with a victory in two days in a tense, low-scoring contest at New Road.

After bowling out the home side for 153 in their second innings, Northants were dismissed for 164 and went down by 20 runs after being hijacked late in the day by Joe Leach (pictured) and Josh Tongue.

Having survived a tricky start at 45 for three, the visitors seemed to be inching towards a third consecutive victory when Adam Rossington and Max Holden played responsibly in a stand of 40.

But the game tilted back towards Worcestershire with two wickets in 13 balls for Leach. The newly-appointed captain had Rossington caught at cover for 22 and then bowled on-loan Middlesex left-hander Holden for 37.

Worse followed for Northants when Tongue picked up two in four balls. Richard Levi was lbw for 22, playing back to the 19-year-old paceman, who followed that by yorking Steven Crook.

The two seamers chipped out two more wickets but Mohammad Azharullah kept up the fight with an unbeaten 17 until the result was settled at 7.20pm when Andy Carter was lbw for eight, giving Leach match figures of 10 for 122.

After 16 wickets had crashed under heavy cloud cover on the first day, it was tempting to assume that batting would become easier in bright sunshine, but it proved to be just as difficult to put partnerships together.

In all, 24 fell on a protracted second day.

A grassy pitch, probably typical of early season with its seam movement, was a factor which became critical when coupled with a number of rash shots. Patience was not the name of the game.

The first job of the day was to deal with Northamptonshire's last four wickets and they were duly swept aside in under an hour, although they would have been reasonably happy with the 55 runs added.

Nathan Buck's unbeaten 24, off 17 balls, included a pick-up for six off Leach while John Hastings removed Ben Duckett (47), Crook (16) and last man Andy Carter in a spell of three for 27.

With Worcestershire holding a lead of 31, their marginal advantage was quickly diluted with the scoreboard showing three for three after four overs from Buck and Azharullah.

Daryl Mitchell nicked Buck's third delivery behind the wicket, Moeen Ali scythed a catch to Duckett in the slips and Brett D'Oliveira was given out lbw for a second wicket for Azharullah.

Worcestershire came up with an innovative response by sending in Hastings and Leach in a fourth-wicket partnership after they batted at nine and 10 in the first innings.

The move worked to the extent of 22 for Hastings and 16 for Leach, but half the side went for 56 before regular middle-order batsmen were together at the crease.

Joe Clarke did not last long before edging Buck for another slip catch by Duckett, but hopes were raised by Tom Fell (23) and Tom Kohler-Cadmore (22).

Again, however, it was not as substantial as they would have wanted. Fell was bowled by Buck and Kohler-Cadmore sliced to gully in a short spell by Crook.

Carter, having come out of retirement to sign for injury-hit Northants, took his fifth wicket of the match when Ben Cox was caught behind but the last pair put together the biggest stand of 45 before Tongue (15) was bowled by Buck (four for 42).

Ed Barnard was left unbeaten with the top score of 26 and it proved a valuable contribution as Worcestershire pulled through.

Day one report

New captain Joe Leach (pictured) inspired a Worcestershire fightback as 16 wickets tumbled on the opening day of the Specsavers County Championship Division Two match with in-form Northamptonshire at New Road.

New Northants signing Andy Carter produced a three-wicket burst, which included Worcestershire top-scorer Moeen Ali (50), as the home side were bowled out for 188.

But Leach, in his first home match at the helm since replacing Daryl Mitchell as captain, produced a deadly new-ball spell which yielded four wickets. It was reminiscent of the form which brought him 65 championship wickets last summer.

When bad light intervened with 25 overs remaining, Northants had been reduced to 102 for six, with only Ben Duckett (45 not out) offering serious resistance.

Former Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire player Carter was signed up after injuries to pace duo Ben Sanderson and Rory Kleinveldt. The visitors were also without skipper Alex Wakely for family reasons, and Josh Cobb led the side in his absence.

Moeen, playing his first championship match for almost a year, and Mitchell dug in against the seamers, adding 62 for the second wicket after the early departure of Brett D'Oliveira.

Steven Crook trapped Mitchell lbw for 30 and Tom Fell (five) departed in the same manner to Azharullah.

Moeen had greeted Carter's introduction into the attack by planting his first delivery over mid-wicket for six and the England all-rounder went to his half-century off 87 balls.

But then Carter changed the complexion of the game when he returned after lunch for his second spell. 

Moeen (50) went for a drive and was bowled, and four balls later Tom Kohler-Cadmore (0) shouldered arms and suffered the same fate. It became three wickets in 11 balls for Carter as Ben Cox (four) nicked a ball of extra bounce through to wicketkeeper Adam Rossington.

Joe Clarke produced some flowing drives but Nathan Buck ensured Northants polished off the innings in efficient fashion. He removed Ed Barnard (one), Leach (20) and Josh Tongue (four) in the space of five overs, while Clarke's knock ended at 33 when he fell lbw to Crook.

The wickets continued to tumble when Northants launched their reply, with Leach settling into a lengthy opening spell which brought him four scalps.

After Rob Newton (one) went lbw in Leach's first over, Duckett decided attack was the best form of defence in an over from Worcestershire overseas player John Hastings which cost 22 runs.

He was aided by Max Holden (13) in a stand of 53 but it was only a brief respite before the bowlers' dominance returned. 

Holden drove Barnard to point before Leach took centre stage.

Rob Keogh (one) edged to second slip and Rossington (0) slashed the next delivery to point. Richard Levi survived the hat-trick ball and a spilled chance by Tongue off Leach but it did not prove costly.

He went lbw for 24 in Leach's next over and his replacement Barnard removed Cobb (seven) in the same manner.