A CAREER-best 8-45 by Matt Mason swept Worcestershire to a 58-run win against Gloucestershire and lifted them back to second in Liverpool Victoria County Championship division two.

The margin of their fourth consecutive victory was surprisingly clear-cut after an epic recovery from 47-6 in their second innings.

Ben Smith's century eventually enabled them to set a testing target of 228 and Gloucestershire folded for 169 in difficult batting conditions.

The visitors may have been marginal favourites when starting the last day at 68-1.

But Zaheer Khan inflicted a crucial blow when his first ball, an in-swinging yorker, trapped Phil Weston.

Hamish Marshall attempted to build a new platform, but the result was sign-posted from the moment Mason produced a wicked lifter to have Kadeer Ali caught behind.

The big fast-medium bowler, who qualified to play for England this season, took 4-23 in a protracted first spell of 11.1 overs from the Diglis end and finished the job by taking 4-6 in 20 balls after lunch.

Gloucestershire crashed to their seventh successive championship defeat in Worcester -- they have not won at New Road for 20 years.

Unreliable bounce when the ball was new had been a problem all match, and on the last day its effect was more pronounced and longer lasting.

Marshall was lbw to a ball which cut back -- and Ian Harvey was fifth man out, edging low to third slip, with Gloucestershire still 112 runs short of their objective.

Alex Gidman became Mason's fourth victim with a leading edge to mid-on -- and Mason continued his fine work in the afternoon.

Martyn Ball was helpless when a shooter ripped out his middle and off stumps, and Jon Lewis was bowled.

Mason struck the final blows to have Steve Kirby flapping a catch to Lou Vincent and Carl Greenidge taken by wicketkeeper Steve Davies.

Steve Adshead made an unbeaten 22 as Mason signed off with a match return of 10-117.