Fynn Hudson-Prentice (2-8), Ravi Rampaul (2-26) and Tony Palladino (1-19) shared five wickets for Derbyshire on Day Three of the Specsavers County Championship game against Worcestershire.
Palladino had earlier struck 58 as Derbyshire posted a second innings total of 377, with Tom Lace unbeaten on 132, to set the hosts 372 to win the match.
Hudson-Prentice bowled eight-consecutive maidens and claimed two early wickets as Worcestershire ended the day 156-5, with Callum Ferguson not out on 71 and Ben Cox unbeaten on 44, still needed 217 to win.
Fynn Hudson-Prentice started the day still yet to score, but he soon got off the mark by smashing the first ball of the day for a boundary before being caught by Cox off Barnard the next delivery.
Anuj Dal was trapped lbw by Leach for nought, which brought Palladino to the crease to join Lace. The pair put on the second-highest partnership of the innings, with Palladino making 58 as part of a 99-run ninth wicket stand with Lace, just his sixth first-class half-century for Derbyshire.
Palladino was caught by Ferguson off Leach, before Rampaul (0) was caught by Whiteley off Barnard to end the Derbyshire innings on 377, setting Worcestershire a total of 373 to win the game.
Daryl Mitchell and Joshua Dell opened the batting for the hosts, making 12 runs for the first wicket before the former was caught by Hosein off Palladino for seven.
Ravi Rampaul claimed the second wicket of the innings in the next over, getting Dell out lbw for nought to leave the hosts 16-2. He claimed his second wicket in quick succession when Riki Wessels (4) was caught by Leus du Plooy.
Ross Whiteley managed 16 before Hudson-Prentice bowled him with the first ball of the 26th over, before dismissing Barnard for nought the same way just two balls later.
The all-rounder would bowl eight-successive maiden overs in his first spell, and only conceded eight runs from his 11 overs on Day Three.
Ferguson was joined at the crease by Ben Cox, and the pair stabilised the innings, seeing the hosts in to team without losing another wicket at Kidderminster.
The sixth-wicket partnership was not broken before Ferguson reached his half-century in 118 balls, including eight fours, with the hosts not losing another wicket before the close of play.
Worcestershire ended the day on 156-5 with Ferguson (71*) and Cox (44*) still unbeaten and a further 217 runs needed to win the match, with Derbyshire requiring five wickets.
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