JOHN Crawley bounced back from his lowest point as Lancashire captain to complete a magnificent 280 against Northants at Old Trafford as Lancs hit 600-6 declared.

At tea Northants were 102 for one off 24 overs with opener Hussey on 62 but Loye retired hurt.

Lancs, starting today at 444-3, lost Joe Scuderi without him scoring, but then Warren Hegg hit an unbeaten 75 as they went for a huge score, with the hope of bowling the opposition out twice on a pitch which could take spin.

Crawley admitted that Monday's C&G Trophy semi final defeat at Leicester, which followed widespread criticism of his own controversial decision to bat first, was his worst moment in three seasons as Red Rose skipper.

That was followed by another heartbreaking last-gasp loss at Lords in the National League on Tuesday, leaving Lancashire with a long drive home to Manchester for today's crucial Championship match against relegation rivals Northants.

It was the fifth double century of Crawley's career, coming from 316 balls and in fitting style with consecutive boundaries off Michael Strong - the 29th and 30th of his innings.

And afterwards he said it was his most satisfying. "This one has got a bit of an extra edge because we are fighting desperately to stay in the First Division," he explained. "The biggest disappointment for me is that something like this hasn't happened earlier in the season. But it still feels pretty good."

Well as he batted, probably Crawley's greatest achievement yesterday was winning the toss.