Spirited Worcestershire succumb to Leicestershire

COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP DIVISION TWO, New Road:
Leicestershire 309 & 182-3 beat Worcestershire 175 & 315 by seven wickets
Leics 22pts, Worcs 3pts
Match scorecard

Nixon led Leicestershire's second-innings charge

Leicestershire completed a seven-wicket victory over Worcestershire within three days, despite a spirited second-innings fightback from the hosts.

Resuming on 168-4, a lead of 34, the hosts reached 315 with Gareth Andrew hitting an impressive 79, the highest score of the match.

But Paul Nixon led the Foxes' charge with his fifth fifty of the season.

And Leicestershire were able to reach their target of 182 at the expense of just three wickets.

The visitors would have hoped to wrap up their victory in even less time, but Andrew had other ideas as he claimed his third half-century of the season.

But some erratic new-ball bowling from the hosts allowed Will Jefferson and Nixon to put on a stand of 61 before James Taylor (43 not out) and James Benning (26 not out) saw them home.

Worcestershire bowler Gareth Andrew told BBC Hereford & Worcestershire:

"We didn't really do ourselves any favours on a pitch which had something in it throughout the game.

"Swapping between four-day cricket and Twenty20 is never the easiest. We had some good partnerships but we never set something that we could have built on.

"When you don't set a decent target you are always chasing the game."