Worcestershire produced a memorable performance with bat and then ball as leaders Nottinghamshire were forced to follow-on in the LV=Insurance County Championship match at New Road.
Their last three wickets added 93 further runs today, with Gareth Roderick completing his superb century, to extend the first innings total to a formidable 390 all out – a splendid recovery from 99-5.
The Worcestershire seam attack then took command, with Dillon Pennington and Ed Barnard picking up four wickets apiece as Nottinghamshire were bowled out for 128 in their first innings.
It was a similar scenario after Nottinghamshire followed on with Ben Gibbon and Matthew Waite working their way through the top order in reducing their opponents to 66-5.
A fighting half-century from Haseeb Hameed enabled Nottinghamshire to stave off the threat of a two-day defeat as they closed on 129-6.
But it was a splendid day in all departments for Worcestershire in which they never relinquished their grip on proceedings, and they are strongly placed to complete a fourth Championship win of the summer.
Worcestershire resumed on 297-7, and Roderick completed a second successive century with a single off Jake Ball.
It came off 205 balls and contained one six and 12 fours and followed on from his 172 not out in his previous knock against Glamorgan at Cardiff.
Roderick was given a standing ovation from a crowd appreciative of his efforts to battle back and show his quality after a challenging first season.
He added two more runs before trying to work Brett Hutton to leg and was trapped lbw.
Josh Tongue did the bulk of the scoring today in ensuring Worcestershire secured a fourth batting point in the 108th over.
Pennington (18) gave him good support before he was caught at mid-wicket off Liam Patterson-White to give Nottinghamshire a third bowling bonus point in the 110th over.
Gibbon helped Tongue add a further 33 for the final wicket, and he pulled Hutton for six before falling to the next ball attempting a similar shot.
It left Tongue unbeaten on a career best 45 from 83 balls with seven boundaries.
Nottinghamshire were left with five overs batting before lunch, and Pennington made an early breakthrough when Ben Slater lost his middle stump after aiming a shot towards mid-wicket.
It set the trend for the afternoon session in which nine wickets fell in just 29.2 overs for 116 runs.
Gibbon came into the attack, and Matthew Montgomery departed to a juggling catch by Barnard at third slip.
Roderick then produced a superb catch to dismiss former Worcestershire batter Joe Clarke.
Clarke leg glanced Pennington and Roderick went full length to his left to pull off a splendid one-handed catch.
Haseeb Hameed completed 1,000 runs in a season for the first time since 2016 with a single off Matthew Waite.
But the wickets continued to tumble at the other end, with Lyndon James offering no shot against Waite and bowled by a delivery which swung back in.
Barnard then produced a devastating spell of 4-1 in the space of just 13 balls.
Steven Mullaney was pouched at first slip, and Tom Moores tried to take his bat away from a delivery but played onto his stumps.
Hameed, who had scored two centuries in the corresponding match last season, battled away for 37 from 92 balls before he drove at Barnard and nicked through to Roderick.
It became two wickets in two balls when Hutton was yorked before Pennington wrapped up the innings.
Ball was also bowled by another full length delivery, and Liam Patterson White found the hands of Azhar Ali at deep mid wicket.
Pennington finished with figures of 10.2-2-31-4 to take his wicket tally for the campaign to 40 at just 22.15 runs apiece.
Barnard’s 4-26 was his best bowling return of the summer and lifted him to 30 wickets.
Nottinghamshire were asked to follow on and again quickly ran into trouble with Gibbon, this time causing the early damage with three wickets.
Slater was bowled after pushing forward, and Montgomery played on after driving at a widish delivery.
It became 43-3 when Clark was caught down the legside by Roderick for the second time in the game.
Gibbon was rested after an excellent spell of 8-2-24-3, but there was no respite for the visitors.
Waite got in on the act by having James caught behind and bowling Mullaney with a delivery which straightened.
Hameed completed an excellent half-century from 84 balls with his 10th boundary and added 56 with Tom Moores.
But the opener’s gutsy knock ended when he presented Roderick with another catch from a Tongue delivery which left him.
