Ben Cox, Ross Whiteley see Worcestershire to victory after the rain

Durham suffered their first defeat of the campaign in the Royal London Cup as Ross Whiteley and Ben Cox guided Worcestershire Rapids to a four-wicket success under the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method at Blackfinch New Road.

The visitors had won their opening games but Cox and Whiteley tipped a see-saw contest in favour of the Rapids with a half-century stand for the sixth wicket before victory was completed with 10 balls to spare. Cox, so often the cool head in a crisis, ended unbeaten on 31 from 26 balls.

Victory enabled Worcestershire to bounce back from the weekend defeat to Leicestershire and move level on points with Durham.

Durham were restricted to 114 for 4 in 27.2 overs before the heavens opened after being put into bat, despite Alex Lees scoring his first List A half-century for the county. Worcestershire were eventually set a revised target of 152 in 24 overs after a delay of more than four hours.

Hamish Rutherford and Riki Wessels quickly established a position of command for the home side as the half-century came up in only 4.5 overs.

Rutherford had become the second Worcestershire player to score centuries on his County Championship and List A debut and he continued in the same vein. He deposited Matt Salisbury and Matt Potts for six on his way to 33 from 22 balls before nicking a widish delivery from Ben Raine through to keeper Cameron Bancroft.

Wessels was also full of attacking intent in making 29 until he was caught off a skier by Bancroft running back towards the boundary from a Salisbury delivery.

Daryl Mitchell dragged a slower delivery from Brydon Carse on to his stumps for a second successive duck in the competition at 71 for 3 in the 10th over.

Carse struck again in his next over as Tom Fell went for a pull and top-edged a simple catch to Graham Clark at mid-on. When captain Brett D'Oliveira was caught behind off Salisbury, Worcestershire had lost four wickets for 10 runs in the space of five overs.

But Whiteley and Cox turned the game back in the Rapids favour by adding 51 in seven overs before the former provided Bancroft with another catch, this time off Raine. Cox and Ed Barnard saw Worcestershire over the finishing line.

Durham had been put into bat and new-ball bowler Charlie Morris made the first breakthrough in his third over as Scott Steel went for a drive and was bowled by a delivery which came back sharply.

Lees, who moved to Durham from Yorkshire after an initial loan spell last summer, had been dismissed for 4 and 6 in Durham's opening two Royal London Cup games He looked in good form and cover-drove Morris for successive boundaries. But Clark paid the penalty for a poor shot as he pulled a short delivery from Josh Tongue straight to Whiteley at deep square leg.

Durham skipper Bancroft went into the game on the back of unbeaten centuries in the competition - 151 versus Northamptonshire and 118 against Leicestershire.

He moved confidently to 20 but the introduction of Mitchell into the attack led to his downfall. The Australia batsman drove loosely and Morris held on to the chance at short third man with the total 78 for 3.

Lees completed his half century off 75 deliveries with four boundaries. But Gareth Harte, making his first RLC appearance of the campaign, fell shortly before an elongated break. He took a stride out of his crease before driving at D'Oliveira and was stumped by Cox.

Only two more runs were added before the players were forced off by driving rain.