JOE Leach made a valuable half-century and then took three wickets to give Worcestershire the better of the opening day at Northamptonshire in County Championship Division Two.

The hosts closed on 64-3, trailing by 213, with Alex Rossington and Richard Levi sharing an unbroken stand of 29 after Leach caused havoc with the new ball.

Leach's first contribution was an unbeaten 51 to help Worcestershire post 277 — a fine comeback having been 54-5 in the morning session.

He then removed Ben Duckett lbw for four, Rob Keogh caught behind for the same score and Rob Newton held at first slip for 15.

It was a fine turnaround after Ben Cox and Ross Whiteley shared 129 for the sixth wicket to recover the County innings.

Having struggled in the morning, runs flowed after lunch with the sun out.

Whiteley was first to his fifty, his fourth of the season, brought up in 60 balls with eight fours and a slog-swept six off Seekkuge Prasanna.

Cox followed in 82 balls with his seventh four.

It was a positive partnership but both batsmen fell within five overs of each other.

Whiteley was beaten by a Steven Crook delivery that clipped his off stump on 66 and then Cox was held at second slip in the third ball of Ben Sanderson's new spell for 74.

Sanderson trapped debutant George Rhodes lbw for 14 and Prasanna picked up a wicket, bowling Ed Barnard (2).

But Leach provided a second batting point with three consecutive boundaries off Muhammad Azharullah and shared a 10th-wicket stand worth 50 with Matt Henry.

He raised a third consecutive Championship fifty in 67 balls with three fours.

Leach completed a handy comeback after a morning session where Worcestershire were in danger of being fired out cheaply.

Azharullah took four wickets in his opening nine-over spell, having struck with his first ball of the morning with an inswinger to take out Daryl Mitchell's leg stump for just one.

Two misjudged pushes followed with Brett D'Oliveira caught by a diving Prasanna at square-leg and Joe Clarke forcing to Saif Zaib at extra-cover, both for four.

Tom Kohler-Cadmore then edged an away-swinger to wicketkeeper David Murphy.

Tom Fell took 16 balls to get off the mark but settled to drive Azharullah and then Crook for boundaries.

However, to the second ball of Sanderson's second spell he shouldered arms and lost his off stump for 37.