STEPHEN Peters could be exiting New Road after being given permission to talk to other counties.

Although his contract runs out at the end of next summer, the 26-year-old opener is faced with looking for a fresh beginning following a poor season with the bat.

Peters earned a first-team recall last week and returned to form with 88 in Worcestershire's County Championship victory over Somerset.

But the arrival of Chris Gayle, West Indies' world-class opener, means the former Essex right-hander is set to stew in the County's Second XI for the rest of the campaign.

And with a high-profile international batsman at the top of Worcestershire's shopping list for 2006, the future does not look bright for Peters.

"Stephen quite understandably wants to be playing first-team cricket," said Worcestershire chief executive Mark Newton. "If he wants to talk to other people, that is OK. But he is still under contract for another year."

The season began well for Peters with scores of 55 and 39 not out in the opening County Championship fixture at Derbyshire.

But his form fell apart, averaging just 8.8 runs in his next five first-class matches, and led to his demotion to the Second XI.

A series of low scores in Worcestershire's mediocre Twenty20 Cup campaign and a duck against Australia failed to help matters.

Injuries to Vikram Solanki and Graeme Hick gave Peters the chance against Somerset to remind County head coach Steve Rhodes of his ability.

Rhodes said: "It's tough on Stephen Peters. In that Somerset match, he went a long way towards building a base for us with 88."

Peters, however, was back in favour when the four-day Championship clash with Lancashire got under way at Blackpool today.

Vice-captain Gareth Batty was ruled out with a hand injury, suffered at Old Trafford last night, so Peters was pulled out of the Second XI match with Warwickshire at Ombersley.

Lancashire, after winning the toss, lost captain Mark Chilton to Matt Mason's first ball of the match but had recovered to 55-1 by the 15th over.