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WORCESTERSHIRE skipper Vikram Solanki paid tribute to Ben Smith and Daryl Mitchell as his side wrapped up their first LV County Championship Division Two win of the campaign with a day to spare at New Road.

Smith, whose 60 was the difference between the County and Essex at the end of the first innings, hit 71 in the second on Saturday, while Mitchell grafted his way to 70 on the same day.

Worcestershire set Essex 340 to win after being dismissed for 279, but four wickets each for Simon Jones and Kabir Ali ensured the County won by 75 runs with nine overs of the third day remaining.

However, victory was tempered by a three-point deduction for a slow over rate, but the win still pleased County captain Vikram Solanki.

"Daryl and Ben, in particular, batted very well," he said. "Then the bowlers did fantastically well to clinch victory.

"Ben got us decent total first up because it was a big score by the end of the first day when we had them 80-7."

Kabir got Worcestershire off to a great start in Essex's second innings, dismissing Jason Gallian in the fifth over for four then drawing an edge from Tom Westley in the seventh over for 11 before picking up the wicket of Varun Chopra just before the lunch break.

Essex rebuilt after the interval, but Chris Whelan broke the partnership of Ravi Bopara and Mark Pettini with the visitors' skipper gloving one down the leg-side for Steven Davies to take a stunning diving catch.

Jones claimed his first wicket of the day when Ryan ten Doeschate edged the Welshman to Smith at first slip but then Bopara and James Foster added 111 for the sixth wicket. Steve Magoffin made the breakthrough, however, dismissing Bopara, and then the wickets started to tumble.

Foster went for 43, edging Kabir to Smith, before three more Jones wickets wrapped up victory.

Earlier in the day, the County could only add 51 to their overnight score before Essex ended the Worcestershire innings on 279 as the hosts built up a lead of 339.

Davies was first to fall in the fourth over of the morning as David Masters sent his off-stump flying with the New Road wicketkeeper only adding an extra five to his Saturday night score of five.

Batty followed in the next over as he edged Alex Tudor to James Foster for five, before an 11-run stand between Kabir and Magoffin was ended by two Masters deliveries.

Jones and Whelan then put on a useful partnership of 32 for the last wicket.

7:21pm Sunday 1st June 2008

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