SKIPPER John Crawley blasted a century on the first day of the crucial Championship match against relegation rivals Northants.

Under-fire Crawley shared in an early 85-run opening stand with Mark Chilton (46). At lunch Lancs reached 157-1 with Crawley on 64 and Andy Flintoff on 33.

Flintoff was out soon afterwards for 38, but then Neil Fairbrother joined in the fun hitting 51 before conceding his wicket. Crawley was unbeaten on 126 as Lancs went to 270-3 off 67 overs.

Yesterday, Lancs seemed certain to go into the Northants match with a morale-boosting National League victory when at the start of the last over Middlesex still needed 16 runs to win.

But then Jamie Dalrymple slogged Glen Chapple's first ball for six and edged the next for four, and after a leg bye another unknown youngster, Chad Keegan, swept another boundary and scrambled a single to condemn Lancashire to a three-wicket defeat - and a long miserable drive back to Manchester.