Hick turns on the style

Graeme Hick was in ruthless form to see his side home

First-wicket pair Graeme Hick and Vikram Solanki smashed 143 in 15 overs at New Road as Worcestershire chased down a target of 169 to reverse a string of Twenty20 Cup defeats by Gloucestershire.

Beaten three times by their neighbours last season - twice in the group and again in the quarter-finals - they charged to victory with a dozen balls to spare.

Hick, still one of the most destructive county batsmen at the age of 42, cruised to 50 from 33 deliveries and became the 11th player to complete 1,000 runs in the competition on reaching 71 in his 28th innings.

Gloucestershire looked a beaten team when successive overs from Carl Greenidge and Anthony Ireland cost 37 runs, with Hick then pushing on remorselessly to an unbeaten 88 including 11 fours and a six from 58 balls.

Solanki was only just behind his partner in posting his own half-century in 37 balls but went for 51 when driving Ireland tamely to mid-off.

Worcestershire had to take on last year’s defeated finalists without two international bowlers after Simon Jones was ruled out by a virus and Gareth Batty, the county’s only specialist spinner, who will be out for seven to 10 days because of a calf injury.

The regular new-ball pair justified Solanki’s decision to field first by removing both openers in the first five overs.

Craig Spearman clipped Steve Magoffin for six over midwicket before steering the Australian to Solanki at backward point, after which Daryl Mitchell held on to a sharp chance at cover to intercept Hamish Marshall’s crashing drive off Kabir Ali.

Gloucestershire then launched a strong counter-attack with successive half-century stands featuring the hard-hitting Marcus North.

Chris Taylor looked in superb touch as he racked up a fluent 39 with eight fours, although he departed when he was caught at third man off Chris Whelan for 39.

North, on 45 from 33 balls, was then dismissed thanks to a moment of brilliance as Ben Smith ran round the boundary from square leg to hold a skier from the bowling of Whelan and at the start of he next over from Mitchell he again did well to keep his balance at third man and take a chance from Alex Gidman (22).

Gloucestershire finished on 168 for nine after both Ian Fisher and Jon Lewis were run out in the final over.