Vikram Solanki and Phil Hughes both hit centuries but Worcestershire still fell to a 12-run defeat to Lancashire on the Duckworth-Lewis method in their Clydesdale Bank 40 at Old Trafford.

The Royals’ pair shared their county’s highest-ever second-wicket partnership in List A cricket to underpin their total of 259-9.

Their 208 stand inside 32 overs helped Worcestershire recover from 4-1 after Moeen Ali was trapped lbw by Sajid Mahmood.

Solanki led the way with 121 off 107 balls, including eight fours and five sixes, while Australian overseas left-hander Hughes hit nine fours and two sixes in 104 off 111, following on from his 111 in their previous match against Middlesex.

But Worcestershire lost eight wickets for 47 runs in just 33 balls to slip from 212-1 and give the home side the momentum going into their chase, which was revised down to 131 off 19 overs after an hour and 25 minutes of rain soaked fans struggling to find shelter in the ground.

Lancashire had reached 69-1 from 11.4 overs when the rain arrived thanks to a fourth successive half-century from Stephen Moore.

When play briefly resumed Moore added eight runs to be 60 from 52 balls as Lancashire reached 95-1 from 14.1 overs.

But more rain arrived to end the contest and lift the hosts up to second place in Group A.

Ajmal Shahzad took three of four wickets to fall in the final over of the Worcestershire innings, including Hughes caught behind, Ben Scott trapped lbw and Alexei Kervezee caught at backward point off a leading edge.

Having bowled James Cameron in the 38th over, he finished with 4-51 from eight overs.

Worcestershire’s late collapse meant the scoreboard had the strange look of having no batsmen in double figures aside from centurions Solanki and Hughes.