MOEEN Ali and Tom Fell hit half-centuries as Worcestershire battled back in their reply to Middlesex’s 309 all out on the second day of the LV= County Championship Division One match at Uxbridge.

At the close, the County trailed Middlesex by 114 thanks to an unbroken stand of 83 between Tom Fell and Alex Gidman.

Earlier, Joe Leach had picked up three wickets in the space of 11 balls to quickly wrap up the home side’s first innings after play got under way late following morning rain.

Middlesex were able to resume on 289-7 after the loss of 16 overs. But Leach took his wicket tally for the season to 35 in just five and a half matches.

First to go was James Harris (1) who was out lbw to a ball which kept low. Leach made it two wickets in two balls when Toby Roland-Jones (0) edged through to Alex Gidman at first slip at 298-9.

Tim Murtagh survived the hat-trick ball and Middlesex crept past 300 to secure a third batting point. But Leach wrapped up the innings with the final ball of his next over as Ollie Rayner (25) was also given out lbw.

Leach finished with figures of 4-81 in 25 overs and Jack Shantry 4-66 in 26 overs.

Murtagh and Roland-Jones took the new ball for the home side against the opening Worcestershire pair of Mitchell and Richard Oliver.

Harris replaced Roland-Jones and struck in his first over when Oliver (6) was adjudged to have edged through to keeper John Simpson with eight on the board.

Moeen got off the mark with a boundary off Harris, while Mitchell dug in with typical determination and tenacity and waited until his 50th delivery to collect his first boundary.

Spinner Ollie Rayner came into the attack for the last over before tea and Moeen straight drove him for four and then flicked him through mid-wicket for another boundary.

But only four runs were added after the interval when Mitchell on 18 nicked Roland-Jones to Rayner at second slip. He struck three fours in his 87-ball knock.

Fell came to the wicket at 52-2 and he and Moeen upped the tempo. Moeen drove Franklin through the covers for four and slashed the same bowler over the slips to the boundary as the 50 partnership came up in 12.3 overs. Moeen then cut Franklin for his 10th four to bring up his 50 off 106 balls.

A stand of 60 in 14.2 overs was ended when Moeen, on 54, was deceived by a slower ball from Franklin and lobbed up a catch to Roland-Jones at mid-off.

New batsman Alex Gidman got off the mark with an edge for four off Murtagh, while Fell completed 1,500 carerr first-class runs when he reached 32 and Gidman started to look assured.

Fell went to his third 50 plus score of the season from 80 balls with his eighth four as Worcestershire reached the close on 195-3 with Fell unbeaten on 75 and Gidman 30 not out..