Solanki is star as Royals chalk win

8:08pm Monday 5th May 2008

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WORCESTERSHIRE Royals skipper Vikram Solanki guided his side to their first win of the season as they defeated Glamorgan Dragons at New Road by seven wickets in the Friends Provident Trophy.

The game was reduced to 28 overs after heavy overnight rain left the New Road groundstaff working minor miracles to get this match going.

Having won the toss, Solanki put the visitors into bat and the Dragons looked to have put on a useful 185-4 total but, despite losing Steven Davies and Moeen Ali cheaply, Worcestershire claimed victory with nine balls to spare.

It was Solanki himself who led the charge home with a beautiful unbeaten 88 and it was his third-wicket stand of 90 with veteran batsman Ben Smith that set-up victory.

Solanki hit five sixes and two fours in his 84-ball innings, while Smith's 41 came off 34 balls with one six and four fours before being bowled by Alex Wharf.

It was the skipper and Stephen Moore (30 not out) who saw the Royals home to lift them off the foot of the South/West Division and keeps them in the mix for a quarter final berth.

The Dragons got off to a steady start against Steve Magoffin and Simon Jones with the opening seven overs going for 22, but when Solanki changed the bowling the visitors changed the pace.

Gareth Andrew and Mehraj Ahmed, making his senior Worcestershire debut, were regularly put to the boundary and it needed the steadying influence of Gareth Batty to restore some order.

The former England off-spinner picked up the wicket of Matthew Wood in the 14th over as the former Yorkshire batsman chipped the ball up to Moeen at mid-on and was caught for 24.

Andrew struck in the following over as he bowled Michael Powell for a duck, before Mehraj picked up his first wicket in the 19th over, bowling Dragons skipper David Hemp for 47.

Tom Maynard struck a quickfire 48, facing just 29 balls, as he and James Dalrymple put on a rapid 50 stand before the youngster, son of former England batsman Matthew - currently cricket manager at Glamorgan, played one big shot too many and holed out to Smith off the bowling of Jones at deep mid-off.

With restrictions of this reduced overs game meaning only three players could bowl six overs, it looked like skipper Solanki had made an error with his judgement.

Magoffin, Batty and Jones had all bowled six overs and Andrew, having already sent down five, looked as if he was going to have the final over until the umpires informed the skipper that this could not happen. Daryl Mitchell did the honours and the Dragons scored 15 from the final six balls.

Thankfully for the Royals, it didn't prove costly.