WORCESTERSHIRE Royals roared four points clear at the top of the Norwich Union National League Division One table thanks to a dazzling display by Glenn McGrath in last night's floodlit clash with Gloucestershire Gladiators at New Road.

The Australian pace supremo grabbed a remarkable 4-12 as the County triumphed by 21 runs with 15.1 overs to spare.

The Benson and Hedges Cup winners were left shell-shocked by deadly McGrath as he ripped out Tim Hancock, Matthew Windows and Mark Alleyne with the first, fourth and sixth deliveries of his third over.

He followed up later with another wicket to add to the scalps taken by his fellow pacemen Stuart Lampitt (3-32) and Kabir Ali (3-34).

The only slight resistance that the County came up against was from Mike Cawdron (26) -- McGrath's fourth victim -- and Jeremy Snape (23).

For high-flying Worcestershire it was their fifth league win on the trot, the first time they have produced such a triumphant sequence since 1995.

They have now also gone 11 successive matches in all cricket without tasting defeat.

And next Wednesday the County will be aiming to repeat the medicine against Gloucestershire when the sides face each other again -- this time in the third round of the NatWest Trophy at New Road.

Last night, however, Worcestershire easily brushed aside their visitors despite having to work hard for their runs on a difficult pitch after winning the toss.

They were eventually all out for 141 in 44.4 overs after finding McGrath's fellow countryman Ian Harvey their main obstacle.

He captured four of the last five Worcestershire wickets to fall to finish with figures of 4-23, his victims being Ryan Driver, in his first limited-over appearance of the season, Steve Rhodes, Lampitt and McGrath.

The only batsman to make any real impression for the County was opener Paul Pollard who hit 41 which included four fours off 93 deliveries.

It hoisted his league tally to 298 in six innings, the most by any batsman in Division One so far this season.

He began by putting on 39 with Elliott Wilson who made 10 before top-edging a catch to wicketkeeper Jack Russell off the bowling of paceman Mike Smith.

The same combination accounted for Vikram Solanki before another safely taken catch by Russell, this time of Snape's fourth delivery, ousted David Leatherdale for 18.

Pollard followed shortly afterwards before Harvey hastened the County to their modest all out tally.

Any thoughts that their total would be inadequate, however, were soon dispelled when McGrath delighted Worcestershire's supporters in the 4,000 crowd with another magical display.

His first three quick-fire wickets helped plunge shattered Gloucestershire to a dismal 35-6 before Snape and Cawdron helped add some respectability to their score.

McGrath, who has also played a major role in powering Worcestershire to the top of the County Championship second division, has now taken 18 league wickets at a cost of 4.88 each.