Worcestershire spin wizard Saeed Ajmal again weaved his magic with a seven wicket haul as Hampshire were dismissed for 219 by tea on the third day of the LV = County Championship encounter at New Road.
Ajmal followed his career best figures of 7-19 in the previous home match against Essex with a return of 7-63 from 21.5 overs.
Worcestershire claimed maximum bowling points for the eighth successive Championship match.
It left the visitors with a deficit of 183 but heavy rain immediately started to fall at the end of the Hampshire innings.
Hampshire reached 107-1 at one stage but then lost their last nine wickets for 112 in 32 overs – and the last four for 14 runs.
They resumed on 10-1 after losing Michael Carberry to the first ball of the innings yesterday evening.
Jimmy Adams was fortunate on four when he miscued Charlie Morris just short of Matt Pardoe at mid-wicket. Then the same player on 15 survived a confident lbw shout from Joe Leach.
Ajmal was first introduced into the attack at the New Road at 71-1 after 23 overs but bowled only three overs before switching ends to reap havoc.
Will Smith reached his half century off 103 balls with nine fours out of 93-1 in the 30th over.
The 100 partnership between Smith and Adams came up in 31 overs before they were both ousted by Ajmal before lunch.
Adams (40) was lbw sweeping and Smith (67) was bowled after trying to pull a quicker and flatter delivery to the last ball before lunch with the total on 114.
Glenn Maxwell and James Vince adapted an aggressive approach after the interval and added 48 in 10 overs.
But from 162-3 the game turned in Worcestershire's favour as Maxwell (24) was adjudged lbw after trying to help a ball from Ajmal around the corner and Sean Ervine (0) pushed forward three balls later and was lbw to the Pakistan star.
Vince (48) gave Leach his first wicket of the innings when he hooked the ball into the hands of Pardoe inside the mid wicket boundary.
The remainder of the innings subsided quickly with Michael Bates (11) – caught behind by Ben Cox – and Matt Coles (19) lbw to Ajmal.
Morris bowled David Balcombe for a duck and Ajmal ended the innings by bowling Danny Briggs (5). Jack Shantry (1-30), Morris (1-49) and Leach (1-47) were the other wicket-takers.
