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Ben Duckett 177*, Luke Fletcher five-for revives Nottinghamshire hopes of victory

Ben Duckett reverse-sweeps during his 87 Getty Images

Worcestershire 53 for 6 (Fletcher 5-20) trail Nottinghamshire 400 for 5 dec (Duckett 177*, Mullaney 88, James 78) by 347 runs

An unbeaten 177 from Ben Duckett and five wickets for Luke Fletcher at last gave spectators something to cheer on day three of Nottinghamshire's weather-hit LV= Insurance County Championship match against Worcestershire.

Duckett, who earned four Test caps in 2016, shared partnerships of 205 with allrounder Lyndon James, who made 78, and 142 with skipper Steven Mullaney, who smashed four sixes in a 73-ball 88 as Nottinghamshire racked up maximum batting bonus points.

They then added two bowling points, reducing their opponents to 46 for 6 in a frenzied 85 minutes before the close, Fletcher taking 5 for 20 including three in the same over.

Duckett's hundred was his fifth for Nottinghamshire, his first of the season and his biggest for the county in the Championship, an innings that mixed some impressive conventional strokeplay from the punchy left-hander with some characteristic improvisation.

Nottinghamshire declared on 400 for 5, after which Worcestershire lost former Notts opener Jake Libby to a brilliant one-handed catch by Ben Slater at short square leg off Fletcher, Tom Fell gloved one off Stuart Broad and Fletcher, bowling full and straight, dismissed Daryl Mitchell, Brett D'Oliveira and Riki Wessels in the space of five balls, all leg before, Mitchell offering no stroke.

He completed his third five-wicket haul in consecutive matches when Jack Haynes went the same way.

Only 95 balls could be bowled in the opening two days, and showers cost another 16 overs on Saturday, yet a positive result remains possible, if unlikely.

It was hard to recall that Worcestershire, still without a Group One win, had reduced their opponents to 51 for 3 by taking three wickets in 28 balls in tricky conditions on a fragmented first day. By contrast, after Friday's complete washout, Nottinghamshire enjoyed chanceless progress through the first two sessions, adding 99 before lunch and 105 in the afternoon, with Worcestershire's bowlers unable to create meaningful pressure.

James and Duckett overtook the 157 set by James Taylor and Riki Wessels at New Road in 2015 as the highest fourth-wicket stand for Nottinghamshire against Worcestershire but the 21-year-old, whose 10 boundaries brought him the third half-century of his fledgling career, fell soon after tea when he miscued a pull off Mitchell's medium pace and was caught at extra cover.

Duckett, whose first fifty came at a run a ball, posted his 19th career hundred off 126 balls as he swept D'Oliveira's legspin for his 11th four, celebrating with two more boundaries in the over from reverse sweeps. He reached 150 off 175 balls, the innings containing 19 fours all told.

Worcs 3rd innings Partnerships

WktRunsPlayers
1st7DKH MitchellJD Libby
2nd56TC FellJD Libby
3rd0JD LibbyJA Haynes
4th40BL D'OliveiraJD Libby
5th21MH WesselsBL D'Oliveira
6th5OB CoxBL D'Oliveira
7th7BL D'OliveiraAS Joseph
8th0J LeachAS Joseph
9th13J LeachJC Tongue
10th1J LeachDY Pennington

County Championship

Division 1
TeamMWLDPT
NOTTS431068
LANCS421157
WARKS421156
HANTS421153
YORKS412140
SOM404014
Division 2
TeamMWLDPT
ESSEX430177
GLOUC431064
DURH311140
NHNTS412138
SUR301227
GLAM403123
Division 3
TeamMWLDPT
KENT440083
MIDDX431067
WORCS422049
LEICS412143
DERBS412142
SUSS404018
Group 1
TeamMWLDPT
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WARKS10415145
DURH10325132
ESSEX10325129
WORCS10136109
DERBS1005572
Group 2
TeamMWLDPT
SOM10415148
HANTS10424145
GLOUC10532131
SUR10226123
LEICS10244111
MIDDX1027184
Group 3
TeamMWLDPT
LANCS10415150
YORKS10514149
GLAM10226127
NHNTS10334123
KENT1003797
SUSS1015494