CHRIS SCHOFIELD showed why Lancashire are keen to keep him with a five-star show under the Old Trafford floodlights last night.

But Neil Fairbrother, who like Schofield (pictured right) is out of contract at the end of the season, followed yet another one-day masterclass with a worrying hint that he is going to retire.

Schofield collected five of the last six wickets as Lancashire skittled Derbyshire for 150 to complete a 60-run victory in their penultimate National League game of the season.

It was the 22-year-old leg-spinner's first five-wicket haul in one-day cricket, and his best performance of a disappointing season.

But Lancashire's win was set up by Fairbrother, who stepped up to open the innings with John Crawley and hit 78 from 98 balls.

On his way back to the Old Trafford pavilion however, Fairbrother saluted the 5,524 crowd in a way that suggested he was making his farewell, waving his bat to all corners of the ground.

Fairbrother says he will not make any decision on his future until the end of the season, but it could be that he, like Atherton, now has only next week's Championship game against Kent, followed by the National League return at Derby on Sunday week, to bring down the curtain on a superb career.

Lancashire went on to reach 210 for six with useful contributions from Crawley, Andy Flintoff, Graham Lloyd and Warren Hegg.

Derbyshire then made a good start until 18-year-old Kyle Hogg broke their opening stand by having Steve Stubbings lbw. Gary Yates earned two for 21 from nine typically tight overs before Schofield mopped up the tail.