YORKSHIRE claimed the six wickets they required for Division One safety during the opening day of their season-ending clash with Worcestershire at New Road.

Steve Patterson and co will be playing top-flight cricket in the Specsavers County Championship next year no matter the result of this match.

Yorkshire started the day needing two points, and they secured the second of those midway through the evening session as already relegated Worcester, invited to bat first, slipped to 255-6 in the 84th over.

Jack Brooks trapped Ed Barnard lbw with the new ball on the way to figures of 5-83 from 19 overs as Worcester closed on 319-8 from 96 overs.

Worcester had the better of a day played out on a sluggish pitch thanks to opener Daryl Mitchell’s 127 off 252 balls.

Captain Moeen Ali hit 60 and shared a stand of 102 for the second wicket with Mitchell as they helped the hosts into a position of strength at 131-1.

Yorkshire then claimed four wickets during a particularly impressive afternoon display, two of which fell to Brooks, as the score slipped to 167-5 shortly before tea.

Moeen and Mitchell shared a partnership of 294 in the innings victory at Scarborough last month, when Mitchell also scored a century.

Moeen led the way with some typically free flowing stroke play, including two leg-side sixes off debutant left-arm spinner James Logan.

Yorkshire have made two changes for this match - Jack Leaning and 20-year-old Logan coming in for Harry Brook and Matthew Waite respectively.

Tim Bresnan claimed the only wicket to fall during the morning, that of Tom Fell caught at third slip by Leaning as the score slipped to 29-1 in the 15th over. Moeen later lofted Logan for six over long-on and slog-swept him over mid-wicket.

The England all-rounder reached his fifty off 69 balls shortly after juggling Jonny Tattersall had dropped Mitchell on 43 off Bresnan, with Tom Kohler-Cadmore unable to hold the rebound at first slip.

Patterson claimed the first of the four afternoon wickets as the visitors dragged things back.

He had Moeen caught at slip by Kohler-Cadmore after edging an attempted pull (131-2 in the 42nd over).

Kohler-Cadmore later helped Ben Coad remove Alex Milton with a low catch tumbling to his left. Sandwiched in between, Brooks bowled Joe Clarke.

Brooks also claimed the fifth Worcester wicket to fall when Ben Cox was trapped lbw as the score fell to 167-5 in the 60th over.

In the midst of that mini collapse, Mitchell reached a more patient fifty, off 135 balls, and he moved into the nineties during the first half of the evening session, by which time Worcester had moved to 200-5.

Adam Lyth was unable to grasp a tough slip chance, off Logan, with Barnard on 13.

Mitchell then reached his century off 220 balls with 13 fours, shortly before the new ball was taken. It was the 34-year-old’s fourth Championship century of the season and his 35th in all first-class cricket.

Brooks then had Barnard lbw to secure Yorkshire’s survival and a 92-run stand with Mitchell before Parnell was caught at second slip by Lyth next ball after the initial chance at gully was parried.

Brooks then had Mitchell caught at deep mid-wicket pulling shortly afterwards - 270-8 in the 86th - to secure his third five-wicket haul in the last five matches.