Rob Bailey and Graeme Welch rescued Derbyshire from the prospect of defeat inside three days but Worcestershire remain on course for victory.

When bad light halted play shortly before 5.30, Derbyshire were 185-5, still 113 runs behind and unless the weather intervenes on the final day, another defeat for the home side looks inevitable.

A startling collapse in the morning, when eight wickets fell in 64 minutes, left Derbyshire to follow on for the fifth time this season and they collapsed again in the second innings.

Alamgir Sheriyar took 4-12 in 24 balls as Derbyshire slumped from 62-0 to 77-4 and when Dominic Cork went cheaply for the second time in the day, Worcestershire were scenting an early finish.

But Bailey, who was one of Andrew Bichel's victims in a spell of 4-2 in 13 balls before lunch, dug in and with Welch, at least restored some respectability to the innings.

Only humiliation looked in store for Derbyshire when Sheriyar found some swing to undermine the batting after Steve Stubbings and Luke Sutton had put on 62 for the first wicket.

Sutton was caught behind driving at a wide ball and Stephen Titchard gloved a catch to Steve Rhodes down the legside before Mathew Dowman was bowled by an swinging yorker for a duck.

Stubbings completed his second half-century of the match before Sheriyar darted one back to bowl him off a pad and although Cork blazed 16 from one Matthew Rawnsley over, he was caught behind for 21 when Bichel returned.

Bailey and Welch resisted for another 21 overs but it will take some batting heroics on the last day or a lot of rain to deny Worcestershire.

© CricInfo