COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP DIVISION ONE, New Road:
CLOSE OF PLAY, FINAL DAY: Warwickshire 309 and 47-1 beat Worcestershire 111 and 244 by nine wickets (Warwicks 20pts, Worcs 3pts)

Tahir's 5-67 was his best since taking 7-107 against Lancashire in 2006

Warwickshire boosted their chances of staying in the County Championship top flight after wrapping up a nine-wicket win against Worcestershire at New Road.

The crushing victory - their first in Division One since they were successful on the same ground in May 2007 - left Worcestershire stranded at the bottom.

Pace pair Naqaash Tahir and Boyd Rankin took the last four wickets in barely an hour to bowl out the home side for 244.

The Bears then reached their target for the loss of just one man on 47-1.

Earlier, Bears old boy Moeen Ali had held up his former county with a stubborn 47 until he was last out.

But Worcestershire's seventh defeat in 10 games makes it more likely that they will be going back to Division Two.

In their three appearances in Division One, they have still won only one Championship match - a run that now extends to 42 fixtures.

Having prepared a grassy pitch with the aim of improving pace and carry, their batsmen failed to cope with the extra bounce and movement.

Instead, it was Warwickshire's seamers, enjoying a welcome change from the sluggish surfaces at Edgbaston, who benefited.

Neil Carter and Chris Woakes shared nine wickets in the home side's collapse for 111 on Sunday. And, in the second innings the spotlight switched to Tahir and Rankin, who also took nine between them.

Rankin was not the first Irishman to find New Road to his liking this summer

Following the injuries to Simon Jones and Kabir Ali, Worcestershire were unable to match such firepower. And, in hindsight the result was probably decided when three Warwickshire batsmen made 50s in a match-shaping total of 309.

Tahir was the bowler who delivered the decisive spell on the final morning as he took 5-67, recording his best first-class figures in three years - and only his second 'five-for' for Warwickshire.

Gareth Andrew (14) kept the visitors waiting for 40 minutes but the end came quickly after the left-hander edged Tahir to Ambrose.

Richard Jones, lbw for three, and Moeen, who finally went nibbling to give wicket-keeper Tim Ambrose his seventh catch of the match, were swept aside as Tahir completed a spell of 3- 25.

And, in between, Matt Mason was caught at short leg to give Rankin a return of 4-56 - his county best figures.

Warwickshire then needed only 47 to secure their first Championship win since beating Glamorgan to clinch the Division Two title last September.

Carter, opening for the second time in the match, departed in Mason's second over when Imran Arif ran in from long leg to hold a low catch. But Ian Westwood and Jonathan Trott finished the job 10 minutes before lunch.

Worcestershire's director of cricket Steve Rhodes told BBC Hereford and Worcester:

"It is really tough and very disappointing as I am a very proud person.

"The club has been a massive part of my life and it will carry on to be so, so to look out there and see us getting beaten is so disappointing.

"All I can do is to keep on working very hard and try and keep spirits high."

Warwickshire captain Ian Westwood told BBC WM:

"I've said all along we haven't been playing too badly, we just haven't been winning. Losing a lot of time for rain, we haven't had chance for games to pan out.

"We're pleased, but there's a bit of relief as well. You can only go on so long without a win before morale starts to dip, so that's exactly what we needed.

"We went into this game losing Ian Bell, and I thought we took quite a positive step playing an extra seamer.

"We thought they might leave a bit of grass on it and that proved to be the case. All the bowlers ran in on Sunday, there were some tired bodies but they kept coming in and we got our just rewards in the end."

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