WORCESTERSHIRE skipper Joe Leach said sloppy fielding cost them at Somerset but he was also unhappy with how the game ended.

The home seamers bowled them to an 83-run Specsavers County Championship Division One victory over Worcestershire with more than a day to spare at Taunton.

Set 279 to win, the visitors were skittled for 195 by mid-afternoon with Lewis Gregory (3-35), Tim Groenwald (3-51) and Josh Davey (2-49) doing most of the damage.

Only Tom Fell, Josh Tongue and Ed Barnard, who had earlier completed match figures of 11-89 with his seamers, offered much resistance, contributing 41, 34 and 45 not out respectively.

Somerset took 20 points from their opening match of the season while Worcestershire had to be content with three from a second consecutive defeat.

But Leach said of the ending: "We felt Matt Renshaw had put a foot on the rope before throwing the ball in to run out Steve Magoffin.

"As we lost by more than 80 runs, it probably wouldn't have made any difference but there have been big last-wicket partnerships and you never know.

"In the end our fielding has cost us the game. I don't know how many catches we dropped but it was too many.

"In both our opening games we have had periods of control and I have no doubts about our ability to compete in Division One as the season progresses."

With Somerset on 255-9 in their second innings, the second ball of the day saw Groenewald bowled by a full-length ball from Barnard whose return of 6-37, like his match figures, were a career-best.

Soon Somerset’s seamers proved there was still plenty of assistance in the third-day pitch.

With only four on the board, County opener Daryl Mitchell (1) had his off and middle stumps removed by Gregory.

It was 16-2 when Brett D’Oliveira fell lbw for five, pushing forward to Josh Davey, and 25-3 as a Gregory inswinger pinned Joe Clarke leg-before for seven.

Fell and Travis Head (9) took the total to 58 before the latter flashed at a short, wide ball from Groenewald and edged through to former Worcestershire wicketkeeper Steve Davies.

At 60-4, Fell was helped when dropped by Marcus Trescothick at second slip off Groenewald, one of two chances spilled by the 42-year-old ex-England opener.

It mattered little as George Rhodes was taken at third slip by Renshaw off Groenewald for a duck and just before lunch Fell departed lbw to Gregory, having batted better than most for his 41.

With the scoreboard reading 85-6 at the interval, Worcestershire were staring down the barrel of a second defeat in as many Championship games.

They progressed to 103 in the afternoon session before Ben Cox (23) played a ball from Davey onto his stumps, looking to withdraw the bat.

Visiting skipper Leach could contribute only six before edging Groenewald to first slip where James Hildreth pouched a comfortable catch.

Tongue and the impressive Barnard added 43 for the ninth wicket before the former was caught and bowled by Craig Overton, mistiming a shot off the full face of the bat.

It was all over at just before 3.30pm when last man Magoffin (10) was run out by Renshaw’s throw from the extra cover boundary after being called for a second run by Barnard.