SKIPPER Ben Smith was delighted with Worcester-shire Royals 'polished' performance against lowly Derbyshire Scorpions which earned them an 111-run totesport League Division Two victory at New Road yesterday.

It was the County's fifth win on the trot and keeps them just six points behind table-topping Middlesex Crusaders with two games in hand.

Smith said: "It was a good performance from batters, bowlers and from the fielding point of view. It was a really polished per-formance."

Smith and Andrew Hall both hit half-centuries as the County made 248-7 after winning the toss.

Second-from-bottom Derbyshire were then removed for a miserable 137 in 33.4 overs to make it a disappointing return to New Road for Scorpions' director of cricket David Houghton who used to coach Worcestershire.

Smith said: "It wasn't an easy pitch to bat on and it actually deteriorated a bit, so it was a good toss to win. It did turn quite a lot and it was hard to get the ball away when it was bowled fairly straight. But we built our score the old fashioned way where we put together partnerships and in the last five overs went big."

Earlier, the visitors had looked like keeping the County batsmen in check until they broke lose in dramatic style with a late blast by Hall and Kabir Ali.

They smashed 42 off the last 12 balls bowled from the Diglis end with the unfortunate Jon Moss going for 22 and Mohammad Ali 20.

Hall finished undefeated on 70, containing one six and nine fours off 55 deliveries, while Kabir's 22 not out came off just nine balls with two sixes and one four.

For Hall it was his first one-day half century in county cricket, while Smith weighed in with 50 which included four fours off 68 balls. It was his first league half-century since the opening match of the season against Sussex Sharks.

Steve Selwood offered the only threat to the County with eight fours in a determined innings of 55.