Worcestershire posted their highest score at Twenty20 cricket yet still succumbed to defeat last night.

An inspired innings of 94 off 35 balls by Somerset's Matthew Wood thrilled a sunkissed Taunton crowd to set up his side's ultimately comfortable victory.

Graeme Hick, known for his deeds on this ground ever since his record 405 not out here 17 years ago, kept his side just about in the contest with a spectacular innings of his own.

Despite the sight of England old boy Andy Caddick conceding 52 from his four overs, and Hick doing most of the damage with 87 off 45 balls, Worcestershire's decision to put the home side in backfired.

Stand-in skipper Gareth Batty's decision initially looked like an inspired move when Zander De Bruyn struck twice in his first two overs.

A smart catch by wicketkeeper Jamie Pipe got rid of home skipper Graeme Smith and then De Bruyn snared Keith Parsons leg-before. But those two early dismissals merely lit the blue touch paper on a remarkable innings by Wood.

Barely a fortnight ago Wood had celebrated a recall to the Somerset side by scoring a century against Worcestershire in the County Championship match at Bath.

That 127 off 231 balls was a well-crafted effort by a young player desperately needing to cement his place in the team. But it was made to look positively painstaking and dull set against the 94 he savaged last night with such merciless brutality.

Most of the Worcestershire attack were made to suffer badly as Wood, showing a hitherto well-hidden belligerence, caned 12 fours and four sixes - one of them collected nonchalantly by an alert journalist one-handed in the car park at the back of the Taunton press box while taking a call on his mobile phone.

It was a lightning-fast outfield but only young Daryl Mitchell, of the visiting attack, emerged with any credit, taking two for 26 from three overs on his Twenty20 debut.

It was Somerset's second highest score in three summers of this form of cricket and easily the most runs Worcestershire had seen plundered off them - in their 13th match too!

It was 27 runs higher than the 183 Gloucestershire had piled up in losing by one run at New Road a year ago.

It badly needed star batsman Hick to remain in the form he had shown against Warwickshire on Wednesday night if Worcestershire were to stand any chance.

Thankfully for the visitors, Hick's second half-century in successive evenings at least gave them a chance. This one came off 26 balls, containing six fours and three sixes.

Hick had lost partners along the way, Stephen Moore having his leg stump removed, while the gamble to hoist Pipe up the order again backfired when he holed out to deep cover.

Ben Smith, after never looking quite in touch, ballooned to his namesake Graeme at short fine leg. But, as long as Hick was there, the visitors were still in contention.

Three more big belts were to clear the boundary, one just missing all his chums in the press box, before he hoisted two huge leg-side haymakers off Caddick in the same over.

A much-needed 16 off that Caddick over left 69 needed off five. But, with the first ball of the next, Hick was bowled by Ian Blackwell. That effectively decided the outcome.

De Bruyn provided one late twist when the embarrassed Caddick came back to bowl the penultimate over and was promptly clubbed for 21 runs, twice being lofted for six.

Despite Stephen Peters coming up with a colourful, quickfire 26, Batty's side fell frustratingly short.