County Championship: Joe Leach takes five wickets for Worcs

Joe Leach has 61 first-class wickets for Worcestershire at an average of 27.70

Worcestershire all-rounder Joe Leach took five wickets as his side edged a hotly-contested first day against Warwickshire at Edgbaston.

Leach dismissed Varun Chopra and Ian Westwood to leave the hosts 20-2.

Half-centuries for Laurie Evans and Sam Hain steadied the ship for Warwickshire but Leach had Evans caught at mid-off by Jack Shantry and bowled Tim Ambrose.

The right-arm seamer trapped Hain lbw for 82 to complete his five wicket haul as the hosts closed on 258-8.

Having claimed their first Division One victory last week over Somerset, Worcestershire chose to bowl on an overcast morning.

Leach made the most of the bowler friendly conditions as he had captain Chopra caught at second slip by opposite number Daryl Mitchell before removing fellow opener Westwood leg-before.

As Warwickshire looked to rebuild, William Porterfield fell to Shantry as a diving Ben Cox behind the stumps caught him down the leg side.

Evans and Hain shared a vital 87-run fourth-wicket partnership, accelerating after lunch as Worcestershire struggled to make further inroads with only three seamers.

But Evans, having passed 50 for the first time since 2013, looked to play a pull shot from outside offstump and was caught by Shantry.

Ambrose soon became Leach's fourth victim as he lost his middle stump as the ball jagged back.

Hain was eventually trapped lbw walking across his stumps to give Leach only his second first-class fifth-wicket haul.

Charlie Morris then claimed two late scalps as he had Rikki Clarke caught at midwicket by Moeen Ali and Jeetan Patel edging behind to Cox.

Warwickshire batsman Sam Hain:

"At the start of the day, with the overcast conditions and with a little bit of a nibble in the pitch, we would probably have taken a total of 260 or 270. I don't think it is a 450-500 wicket.

"It was frustrating to get out because, once you get in, you want to bat as long as possible. I do have a hunger to score runs, if there is no hunger there's no point in playing. I just enjoy batting and enjoy being out there and getting in the heat of the battle.

"It was a little bit frustrating to get out when I did but I'll take 82. I am just looking to continue my form and try to get runs for the boys and the club."

Worcestershire's Joe Leach:

"We couldn't have asked for more really. We got a couple of wickets early and then it was just a long, hard slog trying to grind them down and keep taking wickets.

"You have to try to keep sides in check and I thought we did that today, they never got away from us at any stage. The main ethos about the way we go about our bowling is to make sure we are really disciplined.

"We haven't got anyone with express pace in our attack, but we try to squeeze teams to death and we did that well today.

"In terms of executing a plan of bowling economically it is probably our best day's bowling this season."