A TOPSY turvy day at New Road saw 20 wickets fall as Worcestershire went from brilliant to dismal all in the same day. 

The hosts had bowled the visitors out for 173 in 56 overs at tea, before the home side endured a total collapse to be all out for 83.

Matthew Waite and Joe Leach both took three wickets each in an impressive bowling performance but only Ed Pollock (30) and Jack Brooks (18) provided any runs as they were skittled in just under two hours.

Leicestershire's openers of Rishi Patel and Soloman Budinger then put on 64 runs for the first wicket partnership as they raced out to 66/2 inside the final 11 overs of the day to give them a 156-run lead.

It was a steady start from Worcestershire, who took three wickets in the opening session.

Openers Soloman Budinger had played a number of attractive shots on the way to a quickfire 30 off 28 balls before he edged a Joe Leach delivery through to Gareth Roderick.

Rishi Patel was playing patiently at the other end and was getting into a good rhythm as the score went past 50.

But looking to pull Adam Finch, he top-edged it into the sky before it fell into the hands of Roderick, who watched it all the way as the Leicestershire opener went for 22.

As the game edged towards lunch, the visitors still looked in charge but a brilliant over from Waite swung the game back towards the Pears.

First, Lewis Hill was trapped LBW for 14 by the in-form Worcestershire all-rounder in the first ball of the 26th over. He then picked up a second wicket with ball number six with a swinging delivery that hit Peter Handscomb (0) square on the pads. 

Worcestershire then made the early breakthrough after lunch as captain Brett D'Oliveira produced a diving catch to get Wiaan Mulder out without scoring off the bowling of Leach.

The hosts were on top by this point and when Rehan Ahmed edged through to Ed Pollock for 7, Leicestershire were six wickets down. 

Six then became seven in the 39th over thanks to a catch in the deep by Waite, as Tom Scriven looked to clear the ropes to give Finch a second wicket of the day.

Leicestershire's Colin Ackermann was providing the resistance with a battling half-century but the final three wickets fell and the visitors were all out for 173.

But it was an hour of total chaos that followed after tea. Wickets tumbled at an alarming rate, with four players out for ducks and only one player hitting double figures (Ed Pollock, 30).

Azhar Ali was out for a duck with the final ball of the first over, before Gareth Roderick went without scoring in the third over. 

Pollock and Jack Haynes looked to be stabilising the rocky start with a third-wicket stand of 33 but a further seven wickets in the space of just 16 runs saw them crash to 50/9.

New signing Jack Brooks threw caution to the wind and scored 18 on debut but he could not last and the hosts were all out for 83.

Leicestershire started their second innings with 17 overs to play in the day and Patel and Budinger set out to rack up the runs, and they did so. The pair put on the 50 partnership in just eight overs as they took advantage of some sloppy bowling from the hosts. 

But there were two late wickets for Worcestershire to give them a glimmer of hope as Patel (29) edged Leach through to Roderick and Budinger picked out Brooks off Ben Gibbon.