WORCESTERSHIRE Rapids got off to a losing start in Royal London One-Day Cup Group A when visitors Derbyshire Falcons triumphed by seven wickets.

Falcons chased down 296 on a good batting surface at New Road as Hamish Rutherford led with 104 from 74 balls, putting on 132 in 22 overs with Billy Godleman (61).

Derbyshire registered their second win since elite performance director Graeme Welch resigned on Friday.

When Chesney Hughes was run out by Ross Whiteley from deep point in the 10th over, Rutherford took charge with clean hitting in front of the wicket for seven sixes and six fours.

Godleman may not have been quite as fluent but still reached 50 in 66 balls.

Although they were bowled in quick succession with the wickets going to skipper Daryl Mitchell and Ed Barnard, there were no signs of a wobble.

Wayne Madsen (69 not out) and Neil Broom (45no) cleared off 104 runs in 12.1 overs to see their side home with 11 balls to spare.

Madsen reached 50 from 41 balls. He hit seven fours and a six, while Broom picked off five boundaries as he also scored at better than a run-a-ball.

Worcestershire won only one game in the competition last season and although they began a new campaign with a challenging total of 295 all out, their innings lacked a coherent pattern.

When Mitchell won the toss, he took the chance on batting under early cloud cover and there were some problems as Andy Carter and Ben Cotton dismissed the openers with only 17 runs scored by the eighth over.

Tom Kohler-Cadmore edged to second slip without scoring and Mitchell was bowled as Cotton took 2-24 in his new-ball spell.

Alexei Kervezee led the initial counter-attack with a 33-ball half-century, which included three sixes, in his first List A appearance for the County in two years.

Following his match-winning 52 not out on the same pitch in last Thursday’s NatWest T20 Blast clash with Yorkshire, he dominated a partnership of 115 in 14 overs with Joe Clarke.

Kervezee was eventually out for 77, lbw to Shiv Thakor, before Clarke was run out for 44 when new batsman Brett D’Oliveira played the ball straight to Madsen at mid-wicket.

With D’Oliveira soon bowled by Thakor, Worcestershire had lost half their side for 143 and it was left to Whiteley to lead a second phase.

The former Derbyshire left-hander made 61 from 49 balls, hitting six fours and two sixes before he was lbw to Matt Critchley, a consolation for the leg-spinner who conceded 101 runs in his 10 overs.

Ben Cox (27) and Joe Leach (32) chipped in with useful runs but Cotton came back to take two more wickets for an impressive return of 4-43 and Carter struck in successive overs to close the innings with two balls left.

Several players had to dive for cover as a swarm of bees visited during the match but the real sting for Worcestershire came with the result.