JOE Leach took five wickets as Worcestershire hit back on day two of their Specsavers County Championship Division Two match against Leicestershire at Grace Road.

The hosts took advantage of poor bowling and fielding on the first day to reach 253-4 with Leach taking no wickets at a cost of 82 runs.

However, the seamer closed with 5-99 as the hosts were dismissed for 316, losing their last four wickets for five runs.

But the home attack found line and length themselves to restrict the County to 249-8 by the close of play.

Leicestershire have produced a lively track, which is making for an absorbing battle between bat and ball, but their control of the contest slipped on the second morning.

Mark Pettini edged an outswinging delivery to third slip before Niall O'Brien departed lbw on the front foot to an inswinger.

Aadil Ali and Clint McKay edged outswingers to wicketkeeper and slip respectively, while Ben Raine tried to force the pace and edged another Leach delivery onto his middle stump.

Leicestershire should have made an immediate breakthrough of their own.

But Neil Dexter, fielding at third slip, dropped Brett D'Oliveira twice, once before he had scored then three runs later.

In the circumstances, the South African probably felt he owed his team-mates a wicket or two and duly made the first breakthrough.

Dexter trapped County skipper Daryl Mitchell (25) lbw on the back foot to a delivery which seamed back.

Young prospect Joe Clarke (16) hit three sweetly-timed driven fours before being drawn into fencing at a Charlie Shreck outswinger.

Then Worcester-born opener D'Oliveira, having grafted his way to 47, could not keep out a Dexter delivery that seamed back in, took the back pad and clipped his leg stump.

Alex Kervezee (11) did not settle before going back to a McKay delivery that stayed low.

The follow-on looked a possibility when Ross Whiteley (2) left a Shreck delivery which swung back in and clipped the top of off-stump.

Tom Kohler-Cadmore and Ben Cox eliminated that danger with a stand of 77 but as the ball got older and softer it began to stay increasingly low.

Kohler-Cadmore (44) and Cox (49) were dismissed with consecutive deliveries by Raine and McKay.

Leach (6) missed a heave across the line before New Zealander Matt Henry (30 not out) hit out to good effect before play closed shortly after 7pm.