Jack Shantry and Joe Leach put together an unbeaten century partnership in just 15 overs to revive Worcestershire's hopes in the LV = County Championship clash with Surrey at New Road.
Shantry and Leach hammered 100 off just 15 overs as Worcestershire reached 271-7 by the tea interval – a lead of 137.
Shantry, who yesterday reached 50 Championship wickets for the campaign, was unbeaten on 51 with one six and 10 fours.
Leach followed up his 70 in the first innings with 48 not out from 62 balls with one six and seven fours.
The pair reeled off boundary after boundary, some of them fortuitous and some of them from handsome strokes.
They left the field at tea to a standing ovation all around New Road from a crowd basking in the sunshine.
Shantry hit two fours and a six over third man in an over from Stuart Meaker and Leach lofted Gareth Batty for six over long on.
A single off Batty took Shantry to the third half century of his career from 37 balls – with 46 of his runs coming in boundaries.
Worcestershire resumed on 12-0 and Jade Dernbach broke through for the visitors when skipper Daryl Mitchell (3) was bowled off the inside edge working the ball to leg.
Richard Oliver looked in good form and straight drove and pulled Dernbach for boundaries.
But after making 24 he aimed a pull shot at Dernbach and was caught down the leg side by wicket-keer Gary Wilson.
Moeen Ali twice cut Matthew Dunn for four and new batsman Tom Fell turned Stuart Meaker off his legs to the ropes.from 33 overs.
Fell on nine was bowled by Batty through the gate to leave Worcestershire on 63-3 in the 22nd over.
Moeen swept Batty for successive sixes in an over costing 17 runs.
He went to his half century with a four through mid wicket off Batty.
But in the next over Moeen swept at Batty and was adjudged lbw.
At lunch Alexei Kervezee was unbeaten on 15 and Tom Kohler-Cadmore seven out of 120-4.
Kohler-Cadmore twice cut Dernbach for four after the resumption but was then run out for 20.
Kervezee played Batty to Steven Davies at cover and Kohler-Cadmore could not regain his ground at the non-striker's end.
Dunn ended Kervezee's innings on 38 when he was adjudged lbw and then accounted for wicket-keeper Ben Cox (11) who after surviving two chances was caught on the square leg boundary by Dernbach.
Worcestershire were then 171-7 – a lead of just 37 but then came the Shantry and Leach heroics.
