Ollie Westbury and Alex Hepburn scored centuries for Worcestershire Seconds who dominated day two of the Second Eleven Championship (SEC) match with Northamptonshire at Kidderminster.
Academy opener Westbury hit 137 and Hepburn 149 as Worcestershire amassed 539-7 after resuming on 90-0 – a lead of 214.
Then new ball bowlers Chris Russell and Alex Willerton claimed a wicket apiece to reduce Northants to 21-2 before bad light ended play – still 193 in arrears.
Westbury reached his second SEC hundred off 213 balls with 13 boundaries.
He shared in stands of 95 with skipper George Rodes, 105 with Tom Fell and 156 with Hepburn.
Westbury, whose other SEC 100 came last summer away to Nottinghamshire, was eventually third out at 356.
In total he faced 258 deliveries and struck 18 fours.
Hepburn, who scored four hundreds in all competitions for the Seconds last season, went to three figures off 139 balls with eight fours.
He then cut loose and hit three sixes and a further three fours before holing out to cover to end his 174 ball knock.
His previous century in the SEC came against Durham at Darlington last summer.
Fell had looked in good touch with 72 off 73 balls with 12 fours and a six before he was trapped lbw by leg spinner Jason Jakeman.
There was time for a lively cameo innings of 35 not out from 29 balls by debutant Ben Kohler-Cadmore – brother of Tom – before the declaration.
Then Russell and Willerton got to work in removing the openers – both caught behind by keeper Adeel Shafique.
WORCESTERSHIRE SECONDS – FIRST INNS
(overnight 90-0)
Rhodes c Murphy b Branston 47
Westbury c Munsey b Ashraf 137
Fell lbw Jakeman 72
Hepburn c Zaib b Ashraf 149
Malik c Paternott b Ashraf 17
Shafique c Richardson b Branston 27
Twohig b Zaib 0
B Kohler-Cadmore not out 35
Russell not out 5
Extras 50
Total (for 7 wickets dec) 539 in 111 overs
FOW: 95, 200, 356, 392, 447, 451, 520
BOWLING
Ashraf 25-4-97-3
Richardson 17-2-74-0
Branston 22-5-95-3
Finan 10-0-73-0
Jakeman 14-0-73-1
Taylor 10-0-52-0
Zaib 13-1-59-1
NORTHANTS SECONDS – SECOND INNS
Zaib c Shafique b Russell 10
Arthurton c Shafique b Willerton 5
Munsey not out 4
Murphy not out 1
Extras 1
Total (for 2 wickets) 21 in six overs
FOW: 12, 20
BOWLING
Russell 3-0-14-1
Willerton 3-0-6-1
