Worcestershire fought hard with the ball and claimed a second bonus point on day two of the day-night Specsavers County Championship match with Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge.
But then their batsmen were given a searching examination by the Nottinghamshire pace attack and they closed on 215-7 at 9.40pm in reply to the home side’s 499-9 declared.
Ross Whiteley will resume on 25 not out and debutant Dillon Pennington eight not out tomorrow afternoon against the pink kookaburra ball.
All of the front-line Worcestershire batsmen got off to decent starts and looked in decent touch but only Joe Clarke reached 40 as conditions became more challenging in the twilight period.
Whiteley secured Worcestershire their second bowling point in the 110th over with their first breakthrough of the day.
Keeper Tom Moores, looking to take his side to 400 and a fifth batting point, gave himself room and was bowled for 56 off 71 balls.
Nottinghamshire ended the 110 overs on 395-6.
Riki Wessels anchored the rest of the innings and was unbeaten on 75 when the declaration came.
Worcestershire’s interim captain Brett D’Oliveira struck twice in three overs as Stuart Broard (23) was caught by Martin Guptill at mid wicket and Luke Fletcher (13) holed out to Whiteley at long off.
When Matt Milnes (8) was bowled by Daryl Mitchell, the home side declared.
Worcestershire’s attack, including youngsters Dillon Pennington and Ben Twohig, stuck to their task for the 135 overs which followed on from the 122.4 overs sent down by their bowlers on Friday and Saturday against Lancashire.
Steve Magoffin finished with 3-70 and D’Oliveira 2-44 but it was also encouraging to see the re-emergence of Whiteley as a bowler and he did an excellent job as fourth seamer and finished with 1-39 from 16 overs.
In reply, Guptill again looked in good touch and raced onto a run a ball 28 before he was caught at backward point off Harry Gurney.
Gurney struck again as Mitchell, a century-maker in both innings against Lancashire, nicked through to Wessels at second slip when on 18 at 64-2.
Tom Fell (25) was undone by a good low catch by keeper Tom Moores off Fletcher. The two umpires consulted before he departed the crease.
Clarke reeled off several handsome strokes in making 40 from 65 balls with six boundaries but he was trapped lbw by Fletcher.
Ben Cox (25) also looked in good form until he was bowled by Gurney and then Broad made two further breakthroughs.
He had D’Oliveira (24) caught low at second slip by Chris Nash and knocked out Twohig’s off stump after he had made two.
It was left to Whiteley and debutant Pennington to survive the last few overs and secure the first batting point.
