HAMPSHIRE BEAT WORCESTERSHIRE BY 285 RUNS

Points - Hampshire (22), Worcestershire (3)

The destiny of the County Championship title is likely to be in Hampshire's own hands by Saturday evening.

Not since 1973 have Hampshire lifted the title but the emphatic defeat of Worcestershire at the Rose Bowl this afternoon, and the likelihood of favourable results elsewhere tomorrow, has put them firmly on course for their biggest triumph in 34 years.

The Friends Provident Trophy final at Lord's next week will be a grand occasion but winning the Championship would be a far greater achievement than a second one-day trophy in three years.

Warne admitted: "The highlight of my time at Hampshire will be the day we win the County Championship."

That day may now be less than seven weeks away as Hampshire are peaking at the perfect time.

Like the Manchester United Premiership-winning teams that accelerated in the second half of the season, Warne's Hampshire are gathering pace.

Worcestershire resumed on 24-0 this morning, having been set 473 to win, but were dismissed for 187 in 42.3 overs as Hampshire secured a 285-run win.

Graeme Hick's classy 69 (72 balls) merely delayed the inevitable.

Hick's was the penultimate wicket to fall, caught at first slip by Chris Benham, but James Bruce ensured that Worcestershire's players were back on their team coach by mid-afternoon.

Bruce, bowling with a shortened run up, finished with match figures of 8-72 after taking 4-41 yesterday - including three top-order wickets in his first two overs.

It soon became apparent that there would be little resistance when Bruce removed Stephen Moore and Vikram Solanki within three balls of each other during the second over of the day.

After Phil Jaques edged a drive to first slip, where Michael Lumb held on to a juggled catch in Bruce's next over, Ben Smith edged an attempted slash at a quick ball from Daren Powell and Nic Pothas held on to an athletic catch high to his right.

Shane Warne delivered the final rites with 4-28, his biggest Championship haul for two months.

A 47-run stand in nine overs between Steven Davies (28) and Hick ended when the former played on to Warne's second ball, playing forward to a delivery that spun back on to his stumps.

Gareth Batty made the fatal decision to go back to a straight-on ball in Warne's next over and after Roger Sillence helped Hick add 70 for the seventh wicket, he too fell victim to Hampshire's captain when he handed Michael Brown a bat-pad catch at short leg.

Warne did not field in his customary second-slip position yesterday as he was still nursing a cut to the webbing on his left hand sustained in catching Solanki the previous day.

But he proved that he is never out of the game, even when he is fielding out of the slip cordon, when he ran out Kabir Ali with a direct hit from wide mid-on in the first over after lunch.

"You know the momentum is good when that happens - it's all that practice I'm doing!" he said.

Hick showed there was nothing wrong with the Rose Bowl wicket during an innings that included a straight six against part-time off-spinner Michael Carberry.

But after Warne found his outside edge, last-man Matt Mason followed in the next over, well caught on the square leg boundary by Brown at 2.15pm.

If Yorkshire and Sussex, the top two, lose at home to Lancashire and Warwickshire respectively tomorrow, Hampshire will be very handily placed in the six-county race for the Championship title.

Hampshire bowling: Powell 9-1-39-1, Bruce 10.3-1-41-4, Mascarenhas 5-1-25-0, Warne 13-4-28-4, Griffiths 3-0-26-0, Carberry 2-0-22-0

Read Shane Warne's verdict in Saturday's Daily Echo.