WORCESTERSHIRE fought back with the ball after a wicket-less pre-lunch session on day one of the Specsavers County Championship match with Leicestershire at the Fischer County Ground.

Leicestershire openers Paul Horton and Angus Robson laid a solid platform for their side with a stand of 141 although the former was dropped twice.

But then three wickets fell in the space of five overs with two of them to New Zealand paceman Matt Henry.

Charlie Morris, in his first senior appearance of the summer, had made the initial breakthrough and then Jack Shantry weighed in with another wicket before a delay spanning 13 overs through bad light and rain.

The players returned at 6.30pm for five overs and the home side ended proceedings on 253-4 from 83 overs.

The toss was uncontested with Worcestershire skipper Daryl Mitchell taking up the option to bowl first on a pitch that had a greenish tinge.

But Horton and Robson steered Leicestershire to 107-0 off 31 overs by the interval.

Horton was unbeaten on 74 and Robson 31 as Mitchell used five bowlers during the morning session.

The ball swung but there was little movement off the seam for his bowlers.

Horton reeled off a series of cover drives and went to his 50 off just 59 balls with eight boundaries.

The former Lancashire captain could have been dismissed on 54 when he edged an attempted drive off Morris but Tom Kohler-Cadmore at first slip did not hold on to the low chance to his left.

Morris replaced Ed Barnard in the only change to the County side from the drawn home encounter with Sussex.

After lunch, Horton used up another life on 80 with Kohler-Cadmore again the culprit off the bowling of Joe Leach.

Robson went to his 50 off 109 balls with seven fours but he did not add to his tally before edging a delivery from Morris and wicketkeeper Ben Cox took a fine diving catch away to his right.

In the next over, Henry picked up his first wicket by trapping Horton lbw for 89 made off 131 balls with 16 fours.

Mark Cosgrove departed in the same manner to Henry after making just four.

Experienced duo Neil Dexter and Mark Pettini then steadied the ship for the home side with a stand of 86 in 30.4 overs.

But Shantry gained the third lbw decision of the day to account for Dexter for exactly 50 — a milestone he had reached earlier in the over off 103 balls with eight fours.

Only two more overs were possible before the players went off for bad light and then rain with Pettini unbeaten on 40 from 101 deliveries with six boundaries.

They returned for a five-over spell and Leicestershire added an additional eight runs against Henry and Shantry.

Henry finished with 2-55 from 23 overs, Morris 1-60 from 15 overs and Shantry 1-39 from 18 overs.