Derbyshire hold upper hand with late wickets against Worcestershire on day two

Tom Fell and Riki Wessels hit half-centuries as the Pears recover from loss of early wickets in response to Derbyshire’s 390 but late burst keeps the hosts in control.

Wessels (60) puts on crucial 82-run partnership for the sixth wicket with Ben Cox as the visitors rebuild from 135-5, before late strikes from Luis Reece and Matt Critchley, who following up from his century with the bat claimed figures of 3-56 off 22 overs, restrict Worcestershire to 243-7 and maintain Derbyshire’s strong position heading into day three.

Resuming on 360-8, the hosts added another 30 runs in 11.2 overs to conclude their first innings on an imposing 390, falling just short of a fifth batting point. Ed Barnard took the final two wickets to fall to end with figures of 4-67, dismissing the resolute Ben Aitchison (11) with a well-directed short ball and removing Sam Conners’ (0) off-stump out the ground to earn the visitors their third bowling point just within the allotted overs.

Harvey Hosein was left not out on 83, his second successive unbeaten half-century, whilst Alzarri Joesph’s untidy five overs compounded a difficult debut for the West Indies pace bowler, conceding over 100 runs at 4.5 per over.

Worcestershire’s reply got off to the worst possible start as Jake Libby, fresh from a mammoth innings of 180 at Chelmsford last week, was trapped LBW first ball by young Conners and when Daryl Mitchell’s (9) challenging stay at the crease was undone by a beauty of an in-swinger from Fynn Hudson-Prentice, the visitors were on the back foot at 25-2 as the players headed to lunch.

Fell and Gareth Roderick (12) began to rebuild after the interval with some promise before the latter presented Critchley with a return catch that was smartly grabbed to leave the score 63-3. Fell looked in good touch at the crease as the 27-year old and Brett D’Oliveira put on 58 for the fourth wicket.

The pair batted bravely under sustained pressure from the Derbyshire attack during the afternoon session with Fell reaching his half-century off a watchful 114 balls. Fell (69) was eventually dismissed LBW to Conners who continued his impressive start to the campaign by providing the vital breakthrough for the hosts. D’Oliveira (27) soon followed on the stroke of tea, edging to Wayne Madsen off the bowling of Critchley as the visitors slipped to 135-5.

Wessels and Cox eased any nerves in the Worcestershire camp during the final session and built a much needed partnership to the frustration of the Derbyshire bowlers as the deficit moved below 200. The pair put on a second partnership of the innings worth over 50 as the visitors earned their first batting point, with Wessels bringing up his own half-century off 77 balls in a positive innings which included seven boundaries.

Wessels looked well set at the crease, before the in-form Critchley deceived the former Nottinghamshire batsman with a googly to end a fine innings and hand the all-rounder his third wicket of the innings in what was turning out to be a highly impressive performance by the 24-year old.

The momentum well and truly turned back in the direction of the hosts as Reece returned to break Cox’s resistance for a 107-ball 24. Barnard (11*) and Joseph (10*) survived the remaining few overs as Worcestershire avoided concerns of a potential follow-on and closed on 243-7, still 147 runs behind Derbyshire’s first innings total with just three wickets in hand.

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