BOWLERS Joe Leach and Jack Shantry took three late wickets to swing the first day in Worcestershire’s favour to leave Hampshire 119-4 at the Ageas Bowl in their LV= COunty Championship Division One match.

Hampshire had looked in control on 88-1, having batted slowly on a rain affected day, but evening scalps dragged the game back into the visitors’ grasp.

Shantry found the edge of Hampshire’s most dangerous batsman this season Michael Carberry before Leach had Jimmy Adams and nightwatchman James Tomlinson leg before.

The day will also stick in the mind of another Worcestershire fast bowler, Ed Barnard, who took his maiden first class wicket on his debut — the scalp of Hampshire opener Liam Dawson.

After a washed out morning, play finally got underway for the day at 3pm after Worcestershire had won the toss and decided to field on a green tinged wicket with rarely seen blue skies overhead.

Before play got under way, Hampshire awarded former Durham batsman Will Smith a county cap, while Worcestershire gave first class debuts to Barnard and England under 19 colleague Joe Clarke — and a Championship debut to New Zealander Colin Munro.

The two counties were promoted together from Division Two last season but have found life in the top flight more difficult — with just one win between the sides - with both viewing this encounter as a must win.

In that spirit, Adams and Dawson carefully watched a dangerous opening spell by Leach and Charlie Morris go by without too many issues.

Dawson beautifully timed a drive on the back foot to collect the first boundary of the match as both openers looked to play straight.

The first stand went past 50 for the second game in a row but again Adams and Dawson couldn’t reach three figures together — Dawson poking a Barnard delivery to Daryl Mitchell for 39.

Carberry joined his captain at the crease and survived a vocal shout for caught behind off Leach — the slip cordon and bowler staring at an unmoved umpire Michael Gough in disbelief.

The former Test opener smeared a drive through the covers and pulled heftily in front of square - as the home side moved past 100 in the 44th over.

Carberry departed with 4.4 overs left of the day, as he ended his run of three straight half-centuries in first-class matches, edging behind to Ben Cox off Shantry.

In the next over Adams departed two short of a fourth half century of the season and Tomlinson went in the same way to the final delivery of the day off of Leach as Hampshire toiled in the late evening sunshine.