Date-stamped : 11 May97 - 02:16 Johnson quick off the mark By Peter Deeley at Worcester First day of four: Worcs (199-6) v Leics THE contrasting fortunes of two natives of Zimbabwe, who have both found fortune elsewhere, provided the major talking points of a cold and rain-affected day. Graeme Hick`s poor run continued when he fell lbw to David Millns to leave him with 94 runs in seven innings this season - hardly the form to impress England selector Graham Gooch. Neil Johnson, Leicestershire`s new overseas signing - born, as was Hick, in Harare - found the New Road pitch more to his liking. He took a wicket with his first ball when Paul Nixon`s leg-side catch dismissed Worcestershire captain Tom Moody. Alan Mullally and Millns took two wickets each to emphasise their role in Leicestershire`s attempt to hold on to their title. In the one innings against Gloucestershire, at the outset of the season, these two shared eight wickets. Tim Curtis was Millns` first lbw victim, attempting to drive in the seventh over. Then, after moving several deliveries away from Hick, he got one to hold its line. Phil Weston hooked Mullally for six, went for another big hit off the next ball and was caught by Millns at deep fine leg. Reuben Spiring reached his first fifty of the season before he was well caught at point off Johnson, who spoiled his day by conceding 16 in no-balls. Then Gavin Haynes, in his first championship game for two seasons, and Steve Rhodes rescued Worcestershire with an unbroken half-century partnership. Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/) Old hand Newport sets new standard By Peter Deeley at Worcester Second day of four: Leics (42-5) trail Worcs (257) by 215 runs WORCESTERSHIRE`S Phil Newport bowled champions Leicestershire into a heap of trouble when he dismissed four batsmen in 21 balls to move to two short of 800 first-class wickets. For a day which saw four stoppages and only 41.2 overs, there was enough swing induced by the heavy clouds to produce nine wickets and even an outside chance that we may still see a first result in this summer`s championship. Newport is in his 16th year with Worcestershire. He played five games at the start of last season then suffered a back injury which was compounded later by Achilles tendon trouble, necessitating an operation. He missed two-thirds of the campaign. At the beginning of this summer he remarked: "Things can only get better for me" - and they certainly did yesterday. Helped by the many breaks, Newport and Alamgir Sheriyar - against his old county - were fresh enough to bowl unchanged through the 24.5 overs Leicestershire have so far faced. To the first ball after lunch Iain Sutcliffe, pushing forward, was leg before to Newport to begin a mini-rout. Four overs on Newport had Aftab Habib caught at second slip by Graeme Hick and with the next delivery acting Leicestershire captain Vince Wells was caught behind. Neil Johnson, in his championship debut innings, survived the hat-trick ball but in Newport`s next over became his fourth victim, deceived by a full-pitched ball swinging in to the left-hander. In 1906 Leicestershire registered their record total, 701 for four, here but now they were struggling to avoid their lowest score against Worcestershire, the 52 reached at Grace Road in 1965. Darren Maddy alone had grafted away at one end but then Shariyar - off a run that seemed almost interminable - drew him into an attempted drive at another ball swinging away late and Hick took a second catch, low down this time. Worcestershire snatched one batting point in the morning by virtue of the resistance of Gavin Haynes. He batted three hours for his unbeaten 47, the first championship innings he has played in almost two years because of injury. In fact this match has been a triumph for one-time Worcestershire "crocks." Apart from the return of Newport and Haynes to full fitness, Reuben Spiring had a knee operation which forced him to miss the pre-season tour of Zimbabwe. Now he has come back with a half-century. Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/) Johnson gives ailing Leics early dividend By Peter Deeley at Worcester Third day of four: Leics (69 & 141-4) trail Worcs (257) by 47 runs NEIL Johnson repaid Leicestershire some of the 7,500 it cost to obtain his services from Northern League club Netherfield with an innings that could yet turn this curious game on its head. The Natal all-rounder came in at the darkest hour of the champions` day when Worcestershire looked to be homing in on victory in three days despite all the rain. Skittled out for 69 in their first innings, the lowest total of the season to date, Leicestershire followed on 188 runs behind and were 14 for three. The ball was swinging around in a manner Johnson can scarcely have been accustomed to after a week in this country, and Phil Newport had claimed his eighth wicket in the match with Gavin Haynes taking two more in the space of three balls. Had Worcestershire captain Tom Moody held Johnson at slip off Haynes when he was on seven and still missing more than hitting, it might have been a different story. But Darren Maddy was resolute at the other end and the left-handed Johnson began to find his timing, playing with particular strength off his legs, sharing in a recovery stand of 118 in 27 overs. Maddy, one of only two visiting batsmen to reach double figures in the first innings, eventually fell - much to his obvious disgust - chasing a wide ball from Robert Chapman which Steve Rhodes held, diving wide to his right. Johnson, in his first championship game for the club, is still there, looking for another 13 runs for a century which would complement the double hundred Phil Simmons made on his debut for the same county three years ago. As he took a wicket with his first delivery in the game, Johnson has had quite a start. Not bad for a man who was effectively Leicestershire`s fourth- choice overseas signing. When it became clear that Simmons would be tied up for much of the early season on West Indian duties, they inquired after Pakistani teenager Shahid Afridi, and then South African Test bowler Lance Klusener. So manager Jack Birkenshaw head-hunted Johnson, who was under contract to Netherfield. Phil Newport is at the other end of the service spectrum from Johnson, but it is 10 years since he produced better figures than his seven for 37 which included his 800th career wicket. Newport and Alamgir Sheriyar bowled unchanged for the 34.2 overs it took to polish off the visitors. Then Haynes, in his first championship match for 20 months, made quick inroads. His first delivery accounted for Vince Wells, who has made a pair and faced three balls in his first championship game as captain, and he then removed Aftab Habib, who scored a double century in the corresponding game last year. Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/) Contributed by The Management (help@cricinfo.com)