RELEGATED Worcestershire could not provide any final Specsavers County Championship Division One cheer as visitors Yorkshire cruised home by seven wickets.

A depleted County attack struggled to defend a modest 134 target at Blackfinch New Road and lost with more than a day to spare.

It gave Yorkshire revenge for an innings-and-186-run defeat at Scarborough last month but the absence of the injured Josh Tongue and Wayne Parnell made the task more straightforward.

That away victory had revived the County’s hopes of beating the drop but a run of five successive Championship defeats since sealed their fate and an instant return to the second tier.

The game turned on its head on Tuesday when with the hosts looking set for a sizeable lead Gary Ballance and Jack Brooks added 171 for the ninth wicket.

Instead Yorkshire enjoyed an 88-run first-innings advantage and never relinquished control after that despite clean hitting from Moeen Ali and Parnell.

Yorkshire extended their first innings by 11 runs from its overnight 417-9 before Ballance was last out for 194.

He went to pull Ed Barnard and Dillon Pennington held onto a low catch at fine leg.

Ballance’s 222-ball innings contained 30 fours and one six.

When bottom-of-the-table Worcestershire replied Brooks accounted for Daryl Mitchell (5) with a ball of extra bounce which he gloved to keeper Jonathan Tattersall.

Fellow opener Tom Fell (21) departed to a head-high catch by Adam Lyth at second slip off Ben Coad.

Nottinghamshire-bound Joe Clarke made 16 in his final game for the County before he was bowled by Yorkshire skipper Steven Patterson via an inside edge.

Moeen dominated a fourth-wicket stand of 59 with Alex Milton before the innings imploded at the start of the afternoon session.

After being dropped from the first ball after the resumption Moeen (67) was caught and bowled by Patterson off the third delivery of the same over.

Coad (4-56) struck twice in three balls as Milton (10) was caught behind while Barnard (0) attempted a cut shot and nicked through to Jack Leaning at third slip.

He enjoyed another success as Ben Twohig (1) lofted a simple catch to mid-off and then Ben Cox (18) went down the wicket to Patterson (3-38) and was bowled.

Parnell (58 not out) cut loose and added 40 with Tongue (8) before the latter was caught at first slip off Bresnan.

The South African leg-glanced Bresnan for his ninth four to reach his half-century before Pennington (9) was bowled by Bresnan to wrap up the innings.

Barnard and Pennington, the only two County front-line seamers fit enough to bowl, both enjoyed an early success in disposing of Jeet Raval (13) and Lyth (20) respectively.

Ballance and Leaning shared a partnership of 77 in 19 overs to take Yorkshire to the verge of victory.

Twohig had Ballance (60) caught at deep mid-on before Leaning (22no) hit the winning runs off Barnard.