Worcestershire hit back with the ball in the final session and dismissed Derbyshire’s two in-form batters Shan Masood and Brooke Guest, on day two of the LV=Insurance County Championship encounter with Derbyshire at the Incora County Ground.
After a challenging afternoon with the ball, the post-tea spell was a completely different proposition for Derbyshire.
Ben Gibbon, during an 11 over spell, Ed Barnard and Josh Baker all picked up a wicket, and 32 overs yielded just 72 runs and the three wickets.
Derbyshire will resume on 274-4, 94 in arrears, with a second new ball due after just five overs in the morning, and Worcestershire will be looking to make further inroads in a crucial start to the third day.
Worcestershire resumed their first innings this morning on 326-5 with Ed Barnard unbeaten on 18 and night-watchman Adam Finch, five not out.
Barnard has been in superb form, with at least a half-century in every pre-season and Championship game he has played this year.
But on 21, he was caught at cover of Sam Conners and, in the same over, Ben Cox (2) could consider himself unfortunate when lbw to a ball which cut back in.
Conners made it three wickets in seven balls when Josh Baker (0) was caught behind by a delivery of a bit of extra lift, which nipped away with six needed for a fourth batting point.
Finch on 13 survived a difficult chance to deep square leg off Conners going for the hook.
But, as against Durham, he provided stubborn resistance in making 18 0ff 67 balls before attempting another pull and holing out in the deep off Ryan Sidebottom.
The innings was wrapped up when Charlie Morris (12) fell to a sharp catch at backward point to give Conners his fifth wicket of the innings.
When Derbyshire began their first innings, Finch bowled a testing pre-lunch spell, but the attack found it a battle to find the right line and length during the middle session.
There was a breakthrough when Billy Godleman (14) inside-edged a delivery from Ed Barnard and lost his leg stump.
But the in-form Masood, the leading run-scorer in the Championship this summer, and Guest, a century-maker in his previous two innings, scored freely up until tea.
Masood had one left off on 67, at backward point off Ben Gibbon, but went to complete a 115-ball century.
Gibbon returned to the attack after tea and bowled a marathon testing spell which brought him the wicket of Masood and figures of 11-3-25-1.
He knocked back Masood’s off stump and caused problems for all the Derbyshire batters.
Barnard picked up his second wicket when Guest (77) went for a big drive and was caught behind.
Baker then struck when Wayne Madsen (19) looked to turn a delivery to leg and was leg before to make it three wickets for 27 runs in 15 overs.
