This game had begun as a battle to avoid relegation for Lancashire, but curiously it ended up as something of a celebration. This comprehensive victory here has lifted them to fourth place in the table and, although they could yet be overtaken by Yorkshire or Hampshire, that represents a satisfactory outcome to a season that was always likely to be transitional.

At the end of their first season under Glen Chapple, the captain, and Peter Moores, the head coach, they were spun to victory by Gary Keedy, whose six for 50 sent Warwickshire spiralling to 244 all out in their second innings. Lancashire then needed only two balls to knock off the four runs required for victory.

This was Lancashire’s fourth win of the season, more than anyone else in the first division except Durham, although Nottinghamshire and Hampshire may yet complete their fourth wins today. It is worth the players finishing in fourth place, too, with prize money of £35,000 the reward. The money will be Lancashire’s if Yorkshire and Hampshire draw at Headingley Carnegie today.

Lancashire’s climb up the table has nudged them one point ahead of Warwickshire, who had begun the final round of matches in fourth place, but claimed only three bonus points from this game after collapsing to 148 all out on the first day.

They began their second innings 241 runs behind and soon lost their openers, Ant Botha and Ian Westwood, to Sajid Mahmood. Botha chipped a leading edge to cover as he looked to work to leg, while Westwood edged to second slip.

On a turning pitch, Keedy then set to work. Flighting the ball generously, he had Jim Troughton and Jonathan Trott leg-before, then bowled Tim Ambrose, whose 55 from 77 balls was the highest score of the innings.

The highlight of the day came when Andrew Miller, the Warwickshire No 10, was brilliantly run out by Mark Chilton. Standing at the non-striker’s end, Miller was aghast as Chilton dived at cover to stop a drive from Chris Woakes, before turning and throwing from his knees to hit the stumps at the bowler’s end.

Keedy, fittingly, concluded the innings by spinning one inside a drive from Boyd Rankin, the left-hander, leaving him with six for 48, his best return of the season. The formality of a run chase was then completed when Tom Smith edged Trott for four and Lancashire retired to their dressing room to belt out their raucous team song.

This season was all about surviving and they have done that. Now they will hope to move forward and compete a little higher in the table next year.

Warwickshire: First Innings 148 (N M Carter 59; G Chapple 6 for 19)
Second Innings
*I J Westwood c Smith b Mahmood 30
A G Botha c Chilton b Mahmood 8
I R Bell lbw b Hogg 9
I J L Trott lbw b Keedy 44
J O Troughton lbw b Keedy 27
†T R Ambrose b Keedy 55
R Clarke c Horton b Keedy 40
N M Carter b Keedy 0
C R Woakes not out 15
A S Miller run out 0
W B Rankin b Keedy 2
Extras (b 6, lb 6, nb 2) 14
Total (74.2 overs) 244
Fall of wickets: 1-30, 2-49, 3-53, 4-103, 5-162, 6-215, 7-215, 8-236, 9-242.
Bowling: Chapple 8-0-30-0; Mahmood 16-1-64-2; Hogg 12-2-56-1; Keedy 27.2-9-50-6; Smith 10-3-30-0; Croft 1-0-2-0.

Lancashire: First Innings
P J Horton lbw b Woakes 3
T C Smith c Westwood b Rankin 23
M B Loye run out 13
V V S Laxman b Miller 113
M J Chilton lbw b Clarke 19
S J Croft b Miller 79
†L D Sutton not out 45
*G Chapple c Ambrose b Miller 14
K W Hogg st Ambrose b Botha 23
S I Mahmood lbw b Miller 1
G Keedy c Ambrose b Rankin 18
Extras (b 10, lb 16, w 6, nb 6) 38
Total (126 overs) 389
Fall of wickets: 1-6, 2-44, 3-45, 4-110, 5-264, 6-282, 7-296, 8-352, 9-353.
Bowling: Woakes 26-6-80-1; Rankin 20-4-57-2; Miller 25-7-76-4; Carter 18-5-37-0; Botha 27-6-85-1; Clarke 10-2-28-1.

Second Innings
T C Smith not out 4
P J Horton not out 0
Extras 0
Total (no wkt, 0.2 overs) 4
Bowling: Trott 0.2-0-4-0.

Umpires: P J Hartley and T E Jesty.