WORCESTERSHIRE opener Stephen Moore sent Twenty20 cup holders Leicestershire crashing to defeat in the NatWest Pro40 clash at Grace Road with a career best 105 not out.

The Foxes, who triumphed in a dramatic final against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge on Saturday, came crashing down to earth with a bump as the Royals successfully chased down a target of 201 to win by eight wickets with more than eight overs still in hand.

Moore was the man who led them to their first victory in the competition this season with a superb innings of 106 balls that included 17 fours.

He shared an opening stand of 77 with Phil Jaques and another partnership of 74 in 12 overs with former Leicester-shire batsman Ben Smith.

It was very much a case of after the Lord Mayor's show for the home side who were clearly suffering a hangover after the Twenty20 Cup win.

Put into bat on a slow-paced pitch, they struggled against some tidy Worcestershire bowling with seamers Zaheer Khan and Matt Mason keeping a tight grip on things.

They both bowled superbly with Khan taking 2-21 in his eightovers and Mason conceding just 13 runs and claiming the wicket of opener Darren Robinson in his unbroken eight-over spell.

At the half-way stage of their innings, Leicestershire had reached only 59-1 and looked set to fall well below 200 until HD Ackerman and James Allenby put their foot on the accelerator sharing a stand of 66 in seven overs for the fourth wicket.

Ackerman, who has been in fine form all season, top scored with 86 off 90 balls including 10 fours before top edging a catch to square leg off the bowling of Khan.

Allenby finished with an unbeaten 43 off 31 balls with two sixes and two fours but a total of 200-6 never really looked enough for Leicester-shire.

And so it proved as Jaques, playing his final game before leaving for an Australian training camp, and Moore rattled up an opening stand of 77 in 12 overs.

Then Jaques having hit seven fours in his quick-fire knock of 37 skied David Masters to mid-off to provide Leicestershire with the breakthrough.

But Moore and Vikram Sol-anki added another 50 runs in the next seven overs.

Solanki fell to a catch by wicketkeeper Paul Nixon off Jeremy Snape but Moore, who took 13 in one over off Stuart Broad, reached his century off 103 balls and then collected the final five runs for victory to post a career-best limited overs score.

The result sent the Foxes crashing to their fourth defeat in a row in the competition and they now face a tough challenge to finish in the top three and push for promotion.