Date-stamped : 30 Jun97 - 06:19 AXA Life League: Lancs wide of mark as Hick shines By Mike Beddow at Worcester Worcestershire (235-7) bt Lancashire (121) by 114 runs ONLY 81 overs have been completed during the last six champi- onship days at Worcester. Sundays are different: two uninter- rupted games, both won by Worcestershire, and with some distinc- tion in beat- ing the champions, Surrey, and now the pre-match leaders, Lancashire. The nub of this performance was a partnership of 136 between an imperious Graeme Hick, with 86, and Vikram Solanki. More than half the total was accumulated in 16 overs, shared by Glen Chapple and Darren Shadford, and the result was well sign- post- ed before Shadford initiated some damage limitation with a well-judged catch at long-off to dismiss Solanki for a league best 58. Then in successive overs from Gary Yates, Gavin Haynes was bowled advancing down the pitch and Hick sacrificed a second Sunday century of the season with an almost nonchalant shot to square leg. Not that he had any reason to be self-critical after an innings of such quality. Peter Martin stamped down on the industry of Reuben Spiring, who received his county cap before the match, and David Leatherdale, the latter having taken four boundaries in Shad- ford`s penultimate over. Worcestershire`s bowling also proved to be a great deal more ef- ficient, and to complete a day of woe for Lancashire, Phil New- port took their first three wickets at a cost of 23 runs in six overs. Paddy McKeown`s forward prod looped to cover, Michael Atherton guided a chance to Tom Moody at slip and Moody held on to a sharper chance from the top edge of John Crawley`s bat. When Graham Lloyd pulled Stuart Lampitt`s fourth delivery to short- midwicket, Moody was repositioned to pull down another catch. From that point, Lancashire drifted from dismal to des- perate, and Atherton, the acting captain, admitted: "It was a pretty dreadful per- formance." The lower-order batsmen were unenviably placed in a forlorn situation and, inevitably, catches were showered around, from wicket- keeper to the boundary edge. Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/) Contributed by The Management (help@cricinfo.com)