WORCESTERSHIRE Royals grabbed a thrilling high-scoring tie in the NatWest Pro40 match at Somerset Sabres under the lights tonight.

Thrills and spills, this Division One game had it all except for a Royals victory.

With five runs needed to win from the final ball, Daryl Mitchell put it away for four to tie the game.

In all honesty, the Royals must have been scratching their heads over how they didn’t win the match as Steve Davies and skipper Vikram Solanki got the New Road side off to a flying start when chasing down 298-6.

When Davies went in the 22nd over of their reply for 92 on 181-1, the Royals suddenly found themselves falling to 199-3 in the 25th.

It included a comedy routine as Solanki and Stephen Moore got their wires crossed and the latter was run out for nine.

Graeme Hick and Moeen Ali looked to be leading the County home before the 42-year-old and then his young colleague went in the penultimate over, leaving the Royals needing 12 from the final over.

Gareth Batty got the County to within five with one ball remaining and Mitchell scored enough to earn Worcestershire a point.

Earlier, having blitzed his way to 184 in his last outing, Marcus Trescothick was again in fine fettle.

He smashed his way to a 24-ball half-century before falling for 55 as he was caught by Mitchell off Gareth Andrew.

By then it was 90-2 with Sabres skipper Justin Langer going in the second over for just five as AJ Harris picked up the first of his four wickets in Taunton.

Craig Kieswetter looked like he was going to get his second successive Pro40 century but, once he got into his 80s, the South African-born batsman found it difficult to get the economical spinner Batty away.

He was eventually out trying to sweep Imran Arif, trapped leg before for 89.

But that had followed a superb over from the on-loan Harris as he bowled former Worcestershire overseas player Zander de Bruyn for 45.

James Hildreth then played down the leg-side and was caught behind by Steven Davies for a second-ball duck.

Ex-Worcestershire seconds’ player Pete Trego got the scoreboard moving before he fell in the 37th over for 32.

The Sabres hit a mammoth 333-4 in a 12-run defeat against Gloucestershire Gladiators on Saturday so, when they closed on 298-6, the hosts must have been worried they didn’t have enough runs on the board.

And Worcestershire came so close to a second league win but it was not to be.