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A composed 63 from youngster Rehaan Edavalath edged Worcestershire into the lead on an attritional second day of Rothesay County Championship action against Gloucestershire. Ben Allison continued his excellent performance with the ball to finish with career-best figures of 5-19 and wrap up the Gloucestershire innings for just 150 late on the second morning, before the Pears set about their reply. Edavalath’s 134-ball season-best proved crucial in a stand worth 79 with skipper Brett D’Oliveira on a challenging day for batting that saw a flurry of middle-order wickets throw the Worcestershire’s captain dug in with defiance to end the day 49* as the visitors snuck their noses in front by 55 runs, ending a closely fought day’s play 205-7. Worcestershire returned to Cheltenham for the second day of their County Championship clash with Gloucestershire eager to pick up where they left off after seeing Thursday’s promising start curtailed by rain. Buoyed by an excellent start with the ball 24 hours earlier, the Pears produced another disciplined and clinical morning display, ripping through Gloucestershire’s lower order to take the final five wickets for just 49 runs. Matthew Waite needed less than quarter of an hour of the second day to celebrate a sixth wicket of the innings when the seamer nipped one through the gate of Daz Ahmed, setting an a visibly eager away side on their way. It was then the turn of Beyers Swanepoel (2-42) to join the action in a lively burst, with the dismissal of Ed Middleton and Tommy Boorman in successive overs enhancing Worcestershire’s delight. Middleton had no answer after seeing his middle stump uprooted, and the South African seamer was jumping for joy moments later when he snared the resistant Boorman for a well-made 60. With the Pears attack in full flight and the hosts struggling to stay afloat, it was fitting that the metronomic Ben Allison should return to wrap up proceedings in dismissive fashion. With the bit between his teeth, Allison, making his 100th career appearance, claimed the scalps of Rao and Williams in quick succession to bundle the home side out for 150 and lead his team off the field with career-best first-class figures of 5-19. Dan Lategan and Jake Libby made an assured start to the reply for the visitors, adding 25 for the first wicket in next to no time, but Lategan fell on the stroke of lunch when he was trapped LBW by spinner Sai Kishore. Libby resumed after the interval with a flurry of boundaries through the off side as he settled into his groove, accompanied by injury replacement Rehaan Edavalath who helped his side passed fifty. After a positive start, the visitors endured a minor wobble midway through the afternoon when Libby (20) and Adam Hose both fell in successive Will Williams overs. Worcestershire’s vice-captain edged behind just as he had looked to have got himself set, before Hose misjudged a full delivery that was bound for the stumps to check the Pears at 69-3. On an attritional afternoon, Edavalath was the man who looked most in control for the visitors, with the 22-year-old sticking to his task with great aplomb as he eased his way to a composed half-century from 98 deliveries. Stroking 10 fours in his mature innings, the top-order batter continued to see his side up towards Gloucestershire’s first innings total, reaching a vital fifty-run stand with skipper Brett D’Oliveira shortly before the clock ticked past 4pm. Tea arrived with the Pears in good stead at 123-3, 27 behind with another crucial and elongated evening session lying in wait. Edavalath moved past his career-best score of 61 as he and D’Oliveria pushed their side forward in disciplined fashion, being made to work hard for scoring opportunities under gloomy skies as the evening clouds rolled in. Trailing by just two runs, Worcestershire saw their position of authority dragged from beneath them, as two quick wickets forced a reset at 154-5. Having made a fine 63, Edavalath’s excellent innings was ended when a mistimed drive popped into the hands of Aman Rao at mid-on, moments before Henry Cullen was caught at silly point by Tommy Boorman to give Kishore his third wicket of the day. Matthew Waite joined the not-out D’Oliveira as the field squeezed in and spin came into effect from both ends, and Waite’s late dismissal LBW threatened to destabilise the visitors. The wicket of Tom Taylor deep into the evening saw Worcestershire lose a seventh wicket of the day just 27 runs in front, but a typically positive cameo from Beyers Swanepoel helped stretch the lead. Having dug in valiantly in testing and gloomy conditions still, at 6pm the umpires convened and withdrew the players from the field, with Worcestershire 205-7. Taking a crucial lead of 55 into the third day, the unbeaten D’Oliveira (49 from 114 balls) and Swanepoel (22) will resume on Saturday morning looking to extend the Pears’ advantage in this gripping Division Two encounter.