WORCESTERSHIRE wrapped up the victory they needed to keep alive their Frizzell County Championship Division Two promotion hopes today.

Somerset resumed on 220-8 in their second innings, needing an unlikely 158 runs to make the hosts bat for a second time in the New Road match.

Former England pace bowler An-drew Caddick carried the fight to Worcestershire as Somerset sought to stave off defeat.

But after he had moved from an overnight eight to make 39, he became Ray Price's fourth victim of the innings with the score on 267.

Somerset's last wicket pair of Carl Gazzard and Simon Francis carried on the rearguard action. They added 55 for the last wicket before Francis was bowled by Kabir Ali for 29, leaving Gazzard unbeaten on 44.

Worcestershire turned up the pressure on Somerset yesterday by making 696-8 -- the highest first-class score in their history.

Ben Smith (172) and teenager Steven Davies (148) put on 270 for the fourth wicket and followed Zander de Bruyn's 161 to form a trio of century-makers against Somerset for the third time in 11 seasons.

Somerset faced a massive target of 376 merely to make the home side bat again and, although Matthew Wood got them moving with a brisk 72, spinners Gareth Batty and Price hounded them towards defeat until they closed last night at 220-8 after an extra half-hour.

Paceman Matt Mason claimed his 50th first-class wicket of the season when John Francis gave a chance to slip and, with the preliminaries done with, Price silenced Wood with an arm ball that bowled the free-scoring opener without offering a shot.

Batty took the next four wickets with the help of close catches, the best by Daryl Mitchell at short leg to remove Ian Blackwell, and Price spun out Wes Durston and Robert Woodman to put a three-day win in sight.

Gazzard and Caddick battled to avoid that indignity by negotiating 12 overs in the additional time.

By then, Worcestershire had topped up the overnight total of 492-3 and exposed limitations in Somerset's bowling by scoring 204 runs in 40.3 overs.

Former captain Smith hit 10 fours in each of his three 50s and also hooked Caddick for six. But he was still outpaced by the talented Davies during a partnership of 270, only 11 short of Worcestershire's all-time record stand for the fourth wicket.

After scores of 49, 59 and 95 in successive Championship matches, the 19-year-old left-hander peppered the off-side with his cuts and drives and cruised to a maiden hundred with 19 fours from 133 balls.

n Worcestershire's next home match is a totesport league game against Hampshire starting at New Road on Monday (1pm).