VIKRAM Solanki and Ben Smith both scored centuries as Worcestershire's batsmen put Middlesex to the sword at Lord's.

Solanki was left unbeaten on 153 when captain Graeme Hick declared on 502 for four -- the second County Championship match in a row in which he has been able to call a premature end to his side's innings.

Smith hit 124 as the visitors piled on the runs in their bid for a third Division Two win in the last four games, but Middlesex openers Andrew Strauss and Sven Koenig successfully negotiated six overs in the fading light to finish the day on 15 without loss, a deficit of 487.

The home side had suffered a setback before even taking the field with the news that wicketkeeper David Nash would not resume as he was resting a sore back.

David Alleyne stood in and played a key role in the morning session, taking two catches as Worcestershire began to enjoy batting on a flat Lord's track.

Resuming on 95 for one, Worcestershire quickly lost Phil Weston in the fifth over of the day. He added four to his overnight 48 before edging Abdur Razzaq to Alleyne behind the stumps.

That was the cue for another exhibition of batting from Graeme Hick, carrying on from where he left off in his unbeaten 315 against Durham last week. He took a particular liking to the medium-pace of Simon Cook, helping himself to 14 from one over, and fast bowler Chad Keegan also came in for some punishment.

Hick elegantly pulled Keegan to long-on to score his 12th boundary of a 133-ball 88, but Keegan extracted his revenge next ball, angling one away from Hick that he could only edge to Alleyne.

Smith and Solanki then pushed on with a magnificent fourth-wicket stand of 201. Smith was in especially good touch, easing to his 162-ball century in just over three hours. The former Leicestershire batsman hit nine boundaries on the way to the 27th ton of his first-class career.

He crashed successive Keegan balls to the boundary, the pick of which was a wonderfully-timed drive through the on-side, but succumbed shortly before tea, top-edging to Ed Joyce as he looked to pull Cook.

Solanki matched his colleague almost ball-for-ball, and his century came off two fewer deliveries, containing 10 fours and one huge six hammered over long-on off Weekes.

He also dispatched Tufnell over long-on as the Middlesex attack struggled to find any way of troubling the Worcestershire batsmen.

David Leatherdale rapidly moved on to 59 as Solanki eased past 150 with a glanced four to the third-man boundary, and Hick opted to give the Middlesex batsmen a testing half-hour.

Rain prevented a prompt start to Worcestershire's match with Middlesex at Lord's today.

Worcestershire batsman Kadeer Ali is included in the England Under 19 squad for the first Test against their Indian counterparts at Sophia Gardens, Cardiff, from July 27-30.