CHRIS Silverwood blasted out three batsmen in a dynamic burst at New Road as Yorkshire dismissed Worcestershire for 251, leaving the Tykes to make 236 off a minimum of 76 overs to become the first team this season to beat the Championship's Division Two leaders.

Silverwood, who claimed three wickets for 19 runs in eight overs, finished with final figures of 5- 63, his best analysis since June, 2001.

An enthralling final day was in prospect when Worcestershire resumed on 208-6 with an overall lead of 192 and Yorkshire were fully aware of the need to bowl their opponents out as quickly as possibly.

Batsmen had always had to work hard for their runs on the first three days of a fiercely contested match and Yorkshire did not want to find themselves chasing too big a target.

If Yorkshire do win, they will probably only need to draw their final game of the season against Gloucestershire starting at Headingley on Wednesday in order to gain promotion.

The Bradford-born pair of Gareth Batty and James Pipe needed to make as many runs as possible for Worcestershire's seventh wicket and Batty got off to the right sort of start by leg-glancing Silverwood for four and then off-driving him to the boundary in the paceman's next over.

It was not long, however, before Silverwood rapped back by sending Pipe's middle stump leaping out of the ground and in his next over he made it two wickets in three balls as Batty was given out lbw by umpire David Constant, the batsman not looking at all happy with the decision.

Suddenly, Worcestershire were 227-8 and a third Yorkshireman, David Wigley, came in to try to stop the slide along with Kabir Ali.

Steven Kirby looked surprised when there was no response to his appeal for a catch down the legside by wicketkeeper Richard Blakey from Wigley but he could not afford to spend too much time complaining.

Yorkshire were three overs behind the required rate which would cost them threequarters of a point if it stayed at that. They have already had a half point docked this season and every single point could prove precious at the final reckoning.

Silverwood was roaring in and he grabbed a third wicket at 229 with a yorker which landed flush on Kabir Ali's left foot to pin him lbw. It may have been a double blow for Worcestershire because Kabir went hobbling off the field leaving a question mark over whether he would be able to bowl.

The plucky Wigley and Hayward frustrated Yorkshire by adding 22 for the tenth wicket before Kirby ended the resistance by having Wigley caught behind, Worcestershire being all out for 251.

Kabir Ali was unable to take the field when Yorkshire set off on their victory chase which meant that Wigley shared the new ball with Hayward.

Chris Taylor top edged Hayward over the slips for four but looked more in control when he on-drove Wigley to the fence. In the last over before lunch, however, Taylor fell lbw to Hayward for 14 and Yorkshire were 18-1 at the interval and requiring a further 218.

Updated: 14:29 Monday, September 15, 2003