COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP DIVISION ONE, Edgbaston:
CLOSE OF PLAY, FINAL DAY: Warwickshire 443 beat Worcestershire 154 and 271 by an innings and 18 runs(Warwicks 22pts, Worcs 3pts)
2-5 September 2009

Warwickshire improved their chances of securing Division One status by doing a Championship double over Worcestershire for the first time since 1933.

But Worcestershire's relegation is now all but confirmed after going down by an innings and 18 runs midway through the final afternoon at Edgbaston.

Chris Woakes took two more wickets to finish with match figures of 9-83 as the visitors were dismissed for 271.

Only Surrey-bound Steven Davies offered any serious resistance with 62.

But when he was ninth out, one of three victims for Sreesanth, the end was near for Worcestershire.

It was Worcestershire's ninth Championship defeat in 13 games this season and leaves the yoyoing Midlanders on the brink of a third successive return to Division Two just 12 months after winning promotion.

Steve Rhodes' men still need another 19 points from their final three games to beat Glamorgan's 2005 tally of 88.5 - the lowest by any county in the 10 seasons since the Championship adopted a two- division format.

After starting the day on 123-3, 166 runs adrift, Worcestershire's hopes of saving the game were dealt an almost fatal blow when they lost two wickets in the first 11 balls of the day.

First former Warwickshire youngster Moeen Ali played a poor shot to be caught in the slips by Ian Bell for the second time in 24 hours, before Woakes bowled skipper Vikram Solanki with a beauty.

Sreesanth also removed Alexei Kervezee before Davies held up the Bears' victory charge, sharing 71 for the seventh wicket with Gareth Andrew.

Andrew was eventually caught at slip off left-arm spinner Ant Botha, before Boyd Rankin then claimed the wicket of Richard Jones.

Sreesanth bowled Davies to end his 107-ball resistance, before Woakes sealed victory by bowling Imran Arif.

Worcestershire director of cricket Steve Rhdoes told BBC Hereford & Worcester:

"They played so much better than us in all departments.

"There are a lot of disappointed people in that dressing room. To come to Edgbaston and lose is not a nice feeling.

"But we have a meeting and we ended it in high spirits with determination to improve, and that is all I want as a coach."

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