THE classic pantomime villain is much-scorned and, when the curtain falls, he never comes out on top.

For a long while, though, in front of a raucous crowd at Chester-le-Street in this Fourth Investec Ashes Test, the bad guy looked like for once he might prevail. But, thankfully for England, there was to be a third act to this tale, and the afternoon session saw their bowlers - Stuart Broad in particular - steal the show when it really mattered to win the series.

Despite the best efforts of said villain, the perpetually booed David Warner, Australia's batting was again not able to match the fine efforts of their bowlers; brittle and flaky, they capitulated in the failing light. It was a 74-run margin of defeat in the end, but for long periods the teams' fortunes were much closer entwined.

Warner, the ghost of a pencil-thin mustache curled up at the ends of his mouth, thumped the crease like a hulked-up, scowling Clark Gable, frankly not giving a damn about England's hope of victory. Routinely booed this summer after his now-infamous barroom brawl with Joe Root, Warner gave the crowd a flavour of theatre they hadn't wanted to see.

With a full day in hand, there was no need, really, to score as quickly as he did. But he knows no other way of playing, this Big-Bash bred colussus of a man. Root was apparently only dealt a glancing blow in that Birmingham bar; here, for all the blistering bombast, England were delivered something similar.

Broad was terrific as the leading man; he took six wickets for 20 and it was fitting when - after having been told he couldn't bowl in the bad light - a precious shaft of sunlight emerged and he was able to come back and finish the Australian innings a little after 7.40pm, Peter Siddle caught by Anderson at mid-off to secure the series victory.

"At tea today I was feeling it but nine wickets in the evening, we won and we're 3-0 up - I can't believe it," said off-spinner Graeme Swann. "We got that wicket straight after tea and it opened the door for Broady to have his wonder game. When he's hot, he's 'surface-of-the-sun' hot and yet again today he's won a Test match for England."

First came the scare, though. Rogers was an able deputy to Warner's no-nonsense sheriff in an opening stand of 109. He had more than his fair share of luck; a dodgy period between scoring three and 14 saw a whole catalogue of close calls, ranging from lbw reviews to a dropped catch by Graeme Swann at slip.

The 34-year-old will not wear the baggy green for a more than a couple of years, but he is proving to be a most adept servant; collecting runs, accustomed to the soggy conditions by a decade spent toiling in the county game. He made 49 before falling, Swann finding his outside edge and Jonathan Trott catching at slip. Usman Khawaja fell, too, trapped lbw by Swann shortly after tea.

It was Tim Bresnan's strike, though, in the first over of his spell from the Finchale End, that caused Australia's innings to collapse and crack, Warner edging behind to be caught by Matt Prior. The next five wickets fell for just 13 runs, Michael Clarke - for the second time in the series - out to an outstanding delivery, this time from Broad, which knocked back his off-stump. Broad captured Steven Smith, the youngster somehow enticed into deflecting a short ball down onto his stumps.

Before Nathan Lyon was clean-bowled, Watson and Haddin were out lbw, to Bresnan and Broad respectively, each using up an Australian review only to have their decisions upheld by the faintest of 'umpire's call' margins.

Earlier, Ryan Harris had shown why he has been Australia's most consistent and best performer with the ball, taking his best-ever figures: 7-117. He first saw off Ian Bell and then the out-of-form Prior for a golden duck. Both were bowled, Bell (113) off an inside-edge as he tried in vain to jam down on a delivery which kept devilishly low; Prior unluckily off his elbow. Harris then bounced out Broad, caught off his left glove in the gully. Bresnan chipped back a straightforward caught-and-bowled, before James Anderson was caught-behind off Nathan Lyon.

And so we head into the fifth and final Test match at the Oval with the sad, wistful sense that it all could have been so much more. The debacle at Lord's apart, Australia had good chances to win the other three Test matches. Their batting, though, has proved too brittle, to England's relief.

"It's been hard work as always in Ashes cricket," said Bell. "In Manchester we were saved by the rain, Trent Bridge was one of those that could have gone either way and this one was the same - it was nice not to get that close again."