ANDY Caddick and Charl Willoughby bowled Somerset to an emphatic innings and 151-run victory against Gloucestershire at Bristol in the Liverpool Victoria Championship match which ended on Sunday.

The victory moved Somerset to the top of Division Two, although whether they remain there depends on Nottinghamshire's match with Derbyshire which ended yesteday (Monday).

Somerset needed little more than two days to secure their impressive victory with most of Friday's play lost to rain.

Caddick took 5-41 to complete career-best match figures of 12-71 and Willoughby claimed 5-56 as the home side were out for 138 in their second knock with the last eight wickets went down for 36.

Earlier in the day Somerset reached 410-7 with Neil Edwards (85), Ian Blackwell (72 off 68 balls) and Peter Trego (73 not out) the main run-makers.

They added 252 to their overnight total before skipper Justin Langer called his batsmen in to give Caddick and Willoughby another crack at the Gloucestershire batting line-up, who had crumbled to 121 all out their first innings.

James Hildreth (48) and Cameron White (65) also made valuable contributions for Somerset, but it was Trego and Blackwell who really upped the momentum as they added 149 for the seventh wicket before the latter was caught off Hamish Marshall.

Blackwell hit four sixes and six fours while Trego lost nothing by comparison as he collected 12 boundaries and also scored at quicker than a run per ball.

Facing a 289-run deficit, Gloucestershire soon lost Kadeer Ali lbw to Willoughby for 14 and the left-armer proceeded to sweep away the top order before Caddick got in on the act.

Marshall (31) put on 50 with Chris Taylor (34) but once they had fallen to Willoughby, there was little resistance from the rest.

Caddick had home skipper Alex Gidman caught by Hildreth for a duck and then cleaned up the tail to take his championship wickets tally to 39 from eight games and give Somerset maximum points for the third time in four games.

l SOMERSET begin their Twenty20 Cup campaign on Friday when they take on Warwickshire at Edgbaston, 5.30pm start.

Their first home game is on Sunday when Northamptonshire visit the County Ground, starting at 2.30pm.

In all, Somerset play eight matches in the Midlands, West and Wales group and must finish in the top two to be guaranteed a quarter-final place.