Worcestershire 269 and 115 for 4 lead Nottinghamshire 330 (Read 90, Hales 85) by 54 runs
Scorecard
Trouble-shooter Chris Read guided Nottinghamshire into a strong position at New Road, helping eke out a total of 330 by making 90 - his seventh score of 50 or more in 14 championship innings this season - before Worcestershire lost three wickets in clearing a deficit of 61.
After a backs-to-the-wall final session, they were 54 in front on 115 for 4 and looking for much more from Joe Clarke, who closed 43 not out, and Ross Whiteley, on 22. It seemed they could not escape from those who piled on the pressure as Notts added 157 in the afternoon session. Brett Hutton, who made 40 out of 83 with Read, and Jake Ball, who reached a career-best 38 in a stand of 60 in seven overs, hit them hard with the new ball.
Richard Oliver departed in Ball's opening over - Read holding the catch - and Tom Fell's off stump was knocked back when he played forward to Hutton with only nine runs on the board by the sixth over. With the score on 44 it was three down with Brett D'Oliveira lbw to Hutton for 19 and more trouble followed when Steven Mullaney took a well-deserved wicket by bowling Alex Gidman, middle stump, for 21.
For Worcestershire it was yet another frustrating day in which they did so much right, taking 10 wickets in two sessions, but saw a promising position slip away despite claiming maximum bowling bonus points for the 39th time in 40 matches.
Nottinghamshire were able to get away from them thanks to Alex Hales, who survived a mid-morning collapse to make 85, his first half-century since April, and Read, who has regularly dragged his side of trouble down the years. This season alone he has impacted on numerous matches, making 73 when Worcestershire lost at Trent Bridge and more recently scoring hundreds as Notts took 35 points in drawing with Middlesex and overwhelming Sussex.
Although they secured the lead they wanted in this match, it was not done with total conviction. As soon as the opening stand was broken at 75 - with Brendan Taylor lbw to Joe Leach for 31 - they nosedived to 128 for 5.
Charlie Morris became the third Worcestershire seamer to reach 40 Championship wickets this season when he took three in 10 balls. Mullaney edged to third slip, James Taylor was bowled off stump, and Riki Wessels went lbw for a duck. More upsets were not far away. A slip by Hales in turning for a second run caused the confusion which saw Samit Patel run out without scoring, and immediately after lunch, Hales shouldered arms when he was lbw to Jack Shantry after hitting 15 fours.
From there it was the Read show. Dropped at first slip off Whiteley on 55, he picked off a dozen fours and a six until he was last out, falling leg-before to Shantry when wafting across the line.
