IF ever there was a case of triumph in the face of adversity - this was it.

Worcestershire put their flooding woes to one side to stage an excellent performance and edge past North-amptonshire Steelbacks by five runs to clinch their first Twenty20 Cup victory.

Playing at Kidderminster Victoria's Chester Road gr-ound due to New Road still being under several feet of water, the Royals showed they were anything but washed up.

Graeme Hick hit a masterful 110, reaching three figures off just 44 balls, while his fellow opener Vikram Solanki weigh-ed in with a sedate-by-comparison 58 as the wayward Steel-backs' bowling attack disappeared to all parts.

Hick's masterclass featured 10 fours and eight sixes and he was particular dismissive of former England spinner Rich-ard Dawson, whose two overs vanished for 46 runs.

The County duo put on a new Twenty20 Cup record partnership of 175 for the first wicket in 14 overs.

Kabir Ali added a late cameo with three sixes in his seven-ball 20, including one mighty blow off Johan van der Wath that sailed way over mid-off to take Worcestershire to their new highest score for the competition, 227-6.

Despite facing a hefty total, Northants' openers Usman Afzaal and Lance Klusener started brightly, keeping up with the required run-rate as they put on 92 for the first wicket.

Klusener was particularly savage on Nadeem Malik, smashing 21 off the seamer's only over. However, Malik was involved in the breakthrough, taking a smart catch on the long-off fence to re-move Afzaal for 35 in Gareth Batty's first over.

Batty, bowling in tandem with fellow spinner Ray Price, twirled away economically enough to slow the Northants charge but big-hitting Kluse-ner ensured his side kept in touch.

The South African powerhouse reached his hundred in the 17th over, making it the first time in the history of Twenty20 cricket that there were centurions for both teams, but soon after skipper David Sales was well caught by Solanki after skying a pull to cover off Kabir for 52.

Van der Wath was caught on the mid-on boundary by Ben Smith off Doug Bollinger, who conceded just seven off the penultimate over.

With Northants needing 16 from the final over, Kabir held his nerve to produce an excellent over to restrict the Steelbacks to 222-3 and wrap up a well-deserved victory.