GLOUCESTERSHIRE skipper Jon Lewis beat Worcestershire's Zaheer Khan in the race to 50 wickets for the season on day one of the Liverpool Victoria County Championship division two clash.

Lewis bowled his side in to the ascendancy with 6-77 as the hosts were dismissed for 271, Vikram Solanki top-scoring with an elegant 60 off just 59 balls.

But then Zaheer reached 50 wickets for the season by dismissing Craig Spearman and Phil Weston with the visitors closing the day on 115-2.

On a sweltering day at New Road, captain Solanki won the toss and elected to bat.

Lou Vincent fell to an excellent one-handed diving slip catch by Ian Harvey off Lewis' fifth ball of the day, as the England swing bowler enjoyed the humid conditions.

Stephen Moore, who made 20, took the score to 57 with Solanki before being caught at short-leg by former Worcestershire man Kadeer Ali.

Classy Solanki played a boundary-laden innings before paceman Steve Kirby nipped one back and beat his defences.

Before his lapse, Solanki took a particular liking to the bowling of Carl Greenidge, son of West Indian legend Gordon, stroking six boundaries off him in the space of just two overs.

The County skipper looked in fine touch and seemed to be set for a large score when he surprisingly had his middle stump knocked out of the ground.

Lewis removed both Ben Smith and Steven Davies, before Kirby produced a snorter to account for Graeme Hick, who batted well for his 40.

The veteran batsman was unlucky to get an edge to a ball that lifted sharply and left him, as many batsmen wouldn't have got near it.

Playing against his former club, Roger Sillence unfurled a range of shots around the wicket on his way to 40, before cutting an Alex Gidman delivery straight to Martyn Ball at gully.

Gareth Batty also looked in good touch as he made 36 before falling to Lewis.

Greenidge then wrapped up the Worcestershire innings on 271 when he clean bowled Ray Price for six.

Zaheer made his customary early breakthrough for Worcestershire by removing Spearman. He came up with the perfect response to being hit for six by the Kiwi opener -- having him caught behind next ball.

Another ex-New Roader, Weston, then dug in with New Zealand Test player Hamish Marshall as they put on 96 for the second wicket.

Zaheer completed his 50-wicket haul when he clean-bowled Weston with the final ball of the day.