WORCESTERSHIRE enjoyed a successful opening day when they returned to Specsavers County Championship Division One action against Yorkshire at Scarborough.

Dillon Pennington bowled with pace and aggression in picking up four wickets as the Tykes were bowled out for 216 in 61.4 overs.

It helped ensure maximum bowling points for the County and then Worcestershire openers Daryl Mitchell and Tom Fell saw their side through to 39-0 when bad light halted play.

Worcestershire opted to bowl first and handed a Championship debut to Wayne Parnell and recalled Josh Tongue, three months after his last appearance in the One-Day Cup at the end of May, after injury.

Fell came in as opener in place of Brett D’Oliveira and Ben Cox had recovered sufficiently from his broken ribs to resume behind the stumps for the rigours of a four-day game.

Moeen Ali was captaining Worcestershire in a Championship game for the first time since May 2011 when he took charge for a trio of matches.

Tongue broke through in only his second over as Harry Brook (6) went for a pull and Pennington recovered from slipping to take the catch at deep backward square.

Ed Barnard replaced Tongue and trapped opener Adam Lyth (20) lbw.

Kane Williamson had a let-off on 18 when he was dropped by Ross Whiteley at first slip off Pennington.

But Pennington was soon among the wickets with two in three balls.

Gary Balance (3) went for a drive and miscued to Barnard at backward point.

Then former Worcestershire batsman Tom Kohler-Cadmore (0) was undone by a ball which reared up and again looped to point.

Pennington troubled all the batsmen and Williamson inside-edged him for four but went on to make 50 from 87 balls with eight boundaries.

Yorkshire reached 78-4 off 29 overs by lunch and then Williamson and Jonathan Tattersall accelerated in the first hour after the interval.

Their stand was worth 88 when four wickets went down in 16 balls.

There was a third scalp for Pennington when Tattersall (27) fell victim to a superb one-handed catch by Mitchell at second slip.

Moeen was gaining some turn and captured the prized wicket of Williamson who after making 87 off 131 deliveries with 14 fours chopped the ball onto his stumps.

Pennington struck again as Tim Bresnan (2) nicked through to Fell who took a sharp catch at fourth slip.

David Willey (0) pushed forward to Moeen and was caught by Joe Clarke at second slip to leave Yorkshire on 155-8.

Jack Brooks and Matthew Fisher counter-attacked during a partnership of 56 in eight overs.

The innings was wrapped up as Brooks (38) was caught and bowled by Barnard off a skier and then the England Lions player had Josh Poysden (1) pouched by Fell at point to leave Fisher unbeaten on 20.

Pennington finished with figures of 16-2-53-4, Barnard 12.4-3-32-3, Moeen 7-0-40-2 and Tongue 14-4-36-1.

When Worcestershire batted, Mitchell had a new opening partner in Fell in a role he had never occupied in a first-class match for Oxford MCCU or the County although he did go in first in a two-day game versus Pakistan in 2016.

The pair negotiated 13.4 overs in reaching 39-0 when bad light and then light rain brought an end to proceedings with Fell on 21 and Mitchell 16.