WORCESTERSHIRE endured another testing day in what has become a challenging finale to their LV= County Championship promotion bid as they were dismissed for 272 by Surrey at New Road.

The home side made a partial recovery from 133-6 thanks to a fighting 70 from Joe Leach, who profited from being dropped on nought, but would have been disappointed to secure only two batting points after electing to bat.

By the close third placed Surrey, who trailed Worcestershire by 39 points at the start of play, had reached 59-0 from 17 overs with Rory Burns unbeaten on 40.

Worcestershire were unbeaten in their opening 12 games of the season, winning seven of them, and at that stage were 45 points clear of Hampshire.

But they have struggled to regain the same level of form since returning to red ball cricket after the Royal One-Day Cup.

Succesive defeats to Gloucestershire at New Road and Derbyshire at Derby have seen Hampshire reduce the advantage to seven points going into the latest round of matches.

Worcestershire skipper Daryl Mitchell started the game as the leading scorer in the LV County Championship with 1308 runs.

But he was back in the pavilion after just four deliveries for a duck, edging Jade Dernbach to Rory Burns at second slip.

It was the opening setback in a disappointing morning session for the home side who scored at nearly five an over but lost five wickets in the process to Dernbach and Matthew Dunn.

Richard Oliver (23) pulled Dernbach straight into the hands of Gareth Batty on the mid-wicket boundary, and Tom Fell (0) was trapped lbw by Dunn.

Moeen Ali looked in prime form on his first Worcestershire appearance since the end of June because of England commitments.

He reeled off a series of impressive strokes in making 54 from 73 balls with 10 fours before he was bowled by a ball of full length from Dunn.

Alexei Kervezee (18) was caught behind off Dunn to confirm Surrey's pre-lunch supremacy and it became 133-6 shortly afterwards when Ben Cox (0) nicked Stuart Meaker to Zafar Ansari at third slip.

Ansari also spilled a difficult chance in the same position off Meaker before Leach had scored in the same over.

It proved to be an expensive miss as Leach and Tom Kohler-Cadmore added 95 for the seventh wicket in 22 overs.

A cover-drive for four by Leach off Batty brought up the 200 and secured Worcestershire's first bonus point and his 10th boundary brought up a 53-ball half century.

Kohler-Cadmore's fourth half century of the campaign came off 90 deliveries with nine boundaries.

But on 51 he turned a Zafar Ansari delivery to Burns at short leg.

Leach and Jack Shantry (21) provided further determined resistance during a stand of 44 in 24 overs.

But the last three wickets went down in the space of five deliveries for no runs including Leach for 70 - two of them to Batty, one of four ex Worcestershire players in the Surrey side.

Dunn finished with 3-68,Batty 2-31, Dernbach 2-54 and Meaker 2-85.