County Championship: Leicestershire slump to 88-8 after bowling out Worcestershire for 178

Rutland-based Oakham School is staging only its 10th first-class fixture - and Leicestershire's first game there since 2007

Oakham School witnessed the fall of 18 wickets - 17 of them in the last two sessions - as Leicestershire closed on 88-8, having bowled out potential Division Two promotion rivals Worcestershire for just 178.

Wiaan Mulder's 3-27 was the standout home performance as the hosts, playing across the Leicestershire border in Rutland for the first time in 16 years, exploited seam-friendly conditions.

Matt Salisbury took 3-56, his best figures since moving from Durham last winter, as Worcestershire, on 74-1 at lunch, lost nine wickets between lunch and tea. including Pakistan international Azhar Ali, the Pears' top scorer with 34.

But Nottingham-bound Dillon Pennington, with 3-24, led a Worcestershire response that was more devastating still, to leave Leicestershire 90 runs behind with only two wickets standing.

There is also still the possibility that new England pace bowler Josh Tongue - not required at Old Trafford - may be released to play for the Pears for the remainder of the match.

Having been asked to bat first under overcast skies, with plenty in the pitch, Worcestershire were happy at lunch, having lost only Jake Libby.

But Mulder - bowling for the first time in seven weeks after a niggling back problem - dismissed Gareth Roderick and Jack Haynes in near identical fashion.

Chris Wright then had Adam Hose leg before, followed by the loss of Brett D'Oliveira, Matthew Waite and Joe Leach.

Salisbury picked up two more wickets as Josh Baker looked to help one down the leg side, snared by Peter Handscomb before first slip Mulder executed the catch of the day, one-handed low to his right to remove Azhar.

The last Worcestershire wicket added a potentially valuable 33 runs, leaving 33 overs for Leicestershire to face before the close.

Rishi Patel edged behind off Pennington, before Finch dismissed captain Lewis Hill with one that came back so sharply it took out leg stump.

Waite, who took seven wickets in the match as Worcestershire inflicted Leicestershire's only previous defeat in this season's Championship, picked up where he had left off by removing Louis Kimber's off bail before inducing an edge from Colin Ackermann to third slip.

Finch - the bowler nominated to stand aside for Tongue - inflicted another blow when he brought one back to uproot Handscomb's middle stump and, after a wicketless first spell, leading wicket-taker Leach returned to knock back Mulder's off stump, his 35th scalp of the season.

Pennington then had Scriven caught behind on the leg side before Wright edged to slip in the penultimate over.

Report supplied by ECB Reporters' Network.