Derbys rocked by Dillon destruction
DERBYSHIRE were reduced to 14-5 at one point as Worcestershire gained the upper hand on the first day of the LV Insurance County Championship Division Two match at New Road.
Dillon Pennington’s burst with the new ball and Kashif Ali’s half-century on his firstclass debut earned the initiative for the home side.
Pennington left Derbyshire reeling at 14-5 with four wickets in the space of 18 balls after the visitors had been put in to bat and, despite a half century from Anuj Dal, they were bowled out for 130 in 51.1 overs.
The pace bowler clearly enjoys bowling against Derbyshire after registering careerbest figures of 5-32 and a match return of 9-76 in the corresponding game last season.
Worcestershire also had initial problems when they launched their reply but Ali seized his chance following a mountain of runs for the second eleven and they closed on 141-5 when bad light and then rain halted play at 5.35pm.
Ali was the first product of the South Asian Cricket Academy to sign a professional contract with a first class county earlier this season.
Three hundreds and four fifties in his last seven knocks for the seconds was a testament to his potential and he reached a 72-ball half-century.
But he became one of several players during the day who surrendered their wicket to careless shots, although there was enough movement on a greenish pitch to keep the seamers interested.
Worcestershire handed a debut to Pakistan pace bowler Muhammad Hasnain but club captain Brett D’Oliveira was ruled out with a back injury, so vice-captain Jake Libby led the side. Derbyshire were unchanged from the team which drew with Nottinghamshire last week.
Libby won an important toss and his bowlers soon justified his decision to put Derbyshire in.
Joe Leach struck with the last ball of the opening over as Harry Came was lbw to a ball of full length.
But it was Pennington who broke the back of the Derbyshire top order with a superb opening burst of 4-2-3-4 which reduced the visitors to 14-5.
Brooke Guest (2) was bowled offering no shot to a ball angled in and then Wayne Madsen, who began the day needing 32 runs to reach 1,000 for the season, did not reduce that tally as he edged a delivery which nipped away to Josh Baker at fourth slip.
Luis Reece (1) and Hilton Cartwright (0) were both caught behind by Gareth Roderick, pushing forward to Pennington.
Derbyshire captain Leus du Plooy opted for an aggressive response and dominated the scoring during a sixth-wicket stand of 39 with Dal.
But Ed Barnard, who is to join Warwickshire on a three-year deal from next season, made further inroads with wickets in successive overs.
Du Plooy, on 38, played with an angled bat at a delivery and gave Baker another catch, this time at third slip, then Mattie McKiernan offered no shot but inside edged on to the stumps.
Derbyshire were then 53-7 and in danger of being bowled out before lunch but resistance came from Dal and Ben Aitchison.
They added 56 in 22 overs before Barnard came back into the attack and had Aitchison nibbling at a delivery which was safely pouched by Roderick.
Dal mixed solid defence with some classy shots. Two cuts for four off spinner Josh Baker enabled him to complete a 104-ball half-century with eight boundaries.
Hasnain had bowled two threatening spells without any luck but cleaned up the tail in classic fast bowler’s fashion as he yorked both Sam Conners and Dal.
Pennington ended with figures of 12-3-36-4 and Barnard 12-5-18-3.
Worcestershire also ran into trouble against the new ball and found themselves 23-3 in the fifth over.
Conners knocked out Libby’s off stump with a ball which nipped back and Ed Pollock, having struck Aitchison for six over mid-wicket, tried to upper cut his next ball and was caught behind.
Taylor Cornall flicked at a leg side delivery from Conners and also found the gloves of Guest.
But the momentum switched to Worcestershire favour as Jack Haynes and Ali counterattacked during a stand of 97 in 18.4 overs.
Haynes reeled off a succession of strong cover drives and flicks off his legs, while Ali produced a series of back foot punches which pierced the field.
The pair took Worcestershire into the lead, only to then both surrender their wickets to loose shots.
Haynes, on 48, and Kashif, 52, both chased wide deliveries from Conners and George Scrimshaw respectively and gave Guest two more catches.