A searing burst from Josh Tongue put Nottinghamshire back in the box seat after Worcestershire fought back well on the second day of their County Championship match at New Road.
Nottinghamshire’s first innings lead was restricted to 25 after they were bowled out for 207.
Freddie McCann defied for 56 but Tom Taylor took 4-70 and Ben Allison 3-41 while wicketkeeper Gareth Roderick took five catches.
The game had evened up but Worcestershire closed the second day on 93-5 after Tongue took out the top three in a fiery burst of 9-1-24-3.
With the pitch still helping seamers, Nottinghamshire will not want to chase many in the fourth innings, but are well-placed to push for a win to keep them on the shoulders of leaders Surrey ahead of their mouthwatering meeting at The Oval next week.
Nottinghamshire resumed on the second morning on 46-1 to find the pitch still lively. Allison soon produced a perfect away-cutter that Ben Slater edged to Roderick.
McCann and Joe Clarke (34) added 50 in 17 overs before McCann, having gritted out a valuable half-century, drove at a wide ball from Matthew Waite and Roderick accepted another catch. The slip cordon remained on high alert.
Jake Libby, at second, pouched Jack Haynes off Allison. Clarke dug in for 122 minutes before nicking a waft at the same bowler.
From an uneasy 121-5, the title-chasers were rebooted by Lyndon James’ punchy 42-ball 35 but Taylor ended the counter-attack by inducing another nick and pinned Liam Patterson-White lbw two balls later. Kyle Verreynne (26) steered his side in front then edged Taylor to second slip.
Former Pears pair Dillon Pennington and Tongue added a handy 23 before falling in five balls, the former lbw to Allison and the latter supplying Roderick with his fifth catch, off Waite.
With the game so evenly-poised, a mammoth evening session – 49 overs – promised to be pivotal. Only 36 were possible before bad light intervened but Nottinghamshire made serious inroads.
Tongue trapped Rehaan Edavalath lbw and dismissed Libby, caught at second slip, with a brutal lifter.
Catching of similar quality followed from McCann, a one-handed, diving grab at second slip to remove Dan Lategan off James.
Tongue then knocked out Kashif Ali’s off-stump and James hit Brett D’Oliveira’s.
At 68-5, Worcestershire were in danger of speeding to a defeat which would pretty much seal their relegation but Roderick and Ethan Brookes stayed firm until the light closed in to keep this fascinating match very much alive.
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