WORCESTERSHIRE opened their inaugural Pro40 campaign with a defeat as local rivals Gloucestershire Gladiators eased to a 12-run victory under the lights at New Road.

The visitors won the toss, batted first and posted an imposing 245-5 off their 40 overs.

Steve Rhodes' men made a good start to their reply, racing to 81 without loss in the 13th over, but an all-too-familiar mid-innings collapse once again proved their undoing.

However, the early stages of the match went very much Worcestershire's way as new ball duo Zaheer Khan and Kabir Ali removed danger men Ian Harvey, Craig Spearman and Hamish Marshall for the cost of just 33 runs.

Chris Taylor and Alex Gidman steadied the Gladiators' ship, though, as they took the score to 104 before the latter was caught by Davies off Gareth Batty for 23.

The pair put on 71 runs in just 11 overs, but better was to come for the away side. Former Worcestershire man Steve Adshead joined Taylor, who equalled his best one-day score of 93, at the crease and they staged an excellent partnership of 106 in just 14 overs.

Taylor was caught in the deep by Ben Smith off Zaheer, who finished with 3-27 off his eight overs, but Adshead remained unbeaten on 69 from just 48 balls.

Facing the difficult task of chasing down a sizeable target under the floodlights, Worcestershire got off to a flying start before Lou Vincent was given out lbw for 56.

The New Zealand opener, who faced just 40 balls during his innings, had every right to feel disappointed though as replays showed he got an inside edge on the delivery.

Vikram Solanki was dismissed by Harvey's next ball when he offered Spearman catching practise with a late-cut to first slip and went for a golden duck.

A brilliant piece of fielding by Taylor at short-cover then accounted for Moore, who made a patient 28.

Smith dropped the ball into the off-side and set off for a quick single, but Taylor expertly gathered on the half-volley and threw to Adshead who whipped off the bails with Moore half-a-yard short of his ground.

It was soon 113-5 as Graeme Hick and Steve Davies fell to Martyn Ball in the space of three balls.

Batty and Smith put on 39 but they also fell to Ball's wily off-spin.

Zaheer struck a four and a six but was run-out by quite a distance coming back for a second run which was never on.

Kabir and Roger Sillence -- against his former club -- continued to give it their best, but the damage had already been done by the earlier batting collapse.