New Road (final day): Gloucestershire 444 (C G Taylor 137, S D Snell 127, M A Hardinges 82, S P Jones 5-92) drew with Worcestershire 214 (G A Hick 60) & 196-3 (S C Moore 84). Gloucs (12pts), Worcs (8)

Stephen Moore spearheaded a vastly improved batting display at New Road on Saturday to help save Worcestershire from their first home defeat to Gloucestershire in the championship for 22 years.

Their efforts could hardly have been any worse than those on day three but, having suffered the indignity of being made to follow-on by one of the less able sides in Division Two, the hosts at least got over the line with relative ease.

The draw - Worcestershire fourth straight - is a result that both sides would probably have settled for at different times during the course of the match.

It had seemed the most likely possibility available to Gloucestershire at lunch on day one and it was certainly all that was on offer to Worcestershire at the close of play on day three.

The visitors emerged with more credit, as reflected in the proportion of bonus points gleaned from the game, but in some difficult batting conditions on day four - not unlike those in which Worcestershire collapsed the previous evening - the Pears showed encouraging resolve to end on 196 for three after 53 overs.

At that stage the match was thankfully cut short after the players had to leave the pitch for the fifth time in the day due to the rain and bad light that had blighted the match for the past three days.

Moore's 84 (113 balls, 12 fours, one six) was the highlight of the second innings and a knock blessed with some brutal straight driving worthy of winning a game rather than saving one. He also became the first batsman to reach 500 runs this season.

Had Worcestershire capitalised on their blistering start when Gloucestershire were re-duced to 85 for five on the first morning that might have been the case.

Director of cricket Steve Rhodes said: "I am confused to be honest. I have seen a lot of cricket in my time and the afternoon and evening sessions on day one baffled me.

"I am not taking anything away from Steve Snell or Chris Taylor [who both made centuries for Gloucestershire] but they rode their luck a bit I think we deserved more from those two sessions.

"When we had the overhead conditions the next day it showed just how well we could bowl."

The same favourable bowling climate lin-gered into the final day and was more of a con-cern than the visitors' fairly ordinary bowling attack, weakened by the absence of Jon Lewis and Steve Kirby.

It needed all the help it could get and in the first innings Worcestershire's wastefulness provided ample.

"We played some silly shots," conceded Rhodes. "I am not quite sure why, but that was disappointing.

"We should not never have been following on against them but I was pleased with the way we bounced back. They had some helpful overhead conditions again and, when you look at the course of this game, the ball has done quite a bit when it has been cloudy so it that was dangerous.

"But I was delighted with the way Stephen Moore and Graeme Hick dug in, particularly Moore. He has been in good nick and it was a typical innings of his.

"He bounced back after a low score in the first innings with some simple batting: block-ing the good ball and hitting the bad one.

"He has worked hard technically in the summer, is very strong mentally and he is determined to be the highest run scorer in the club this season, which he is well on the way to achieving."

He is indeed, having now scored 567 runs in first-class cricket this season - the most in either division - at an average of 78.

Given the way he berated himself after be

ing caught at gully off Anthony Ireland, Moore clearly felt that a fourth first-class century was a certainty, especially after being dropped by Alex Gidman on 43 at mid-on.

It certainly seemed so; and he was not the only player who looked blissfully untroubled.

Vikram Solanki, his opening partner on the day due the injury sustained by Daryl Mitchell in the first innings - he is fine, looked equally at ease.

When he is in the mood, few players on the circuit make batting look so effortless, but he gifted Gloucestershire his wicket when trying to dominate part-time off-break bowler Marcus North and holing out to mid-off.

The cries of "you pillock" emanating from the knowledgeable supporters sitting next to the press box says it all.

Not to worry though, Graeme Hick picked up the dismissive vein of form that had illuminated day three and, after Ben Smith had unnecessarily picked out deep square leg off Matt Gitsham, he saw Worcestershire home with the help of Steven Davies.