A CAREER-BEST T20 innings of 61 by Barrow's Liam Livingstone and some tight leg-spin bowling by Matthew Parkinson guided Lancashire to a routine 31-run victory over Durham at Old Trafford.

The victory was Lancashire's third in six games but left Durham with four defeats to show for their efforts in this season's competition. Paul Coughlin's side remain on minus four points thanks to the England and Wales Cricket Board's sanction last October, and their chances of qualifying from the North Group are already very slim.

There was, however, no doubting the justice of the result of Sunday's game in which Lancashire posted 174 for five off their 20 overs, only for Durham to respond with 143 for eight.

The highlight of Lancashire's innings for most in the crowd was probably Livingstone's half-century, which included a couple of sixes off Chris Rushworth, a painful blow on the forearm from the same bowler and a quartet of fours.

However, the most effective home batting was produced in the last six overs when Ryan McLaren and Steven Croft put on an unbroken 64 for the sixth wicket, a partnership which hoisted Lancashire to a better-than-par total. Both batsmen hit sixes off Coughlin's final over of the innings and McLaren's 32 off 18 balls reinforced the view that he has been one of his new county's shrewder acquisitions.

But Lightning's progress had initially been checked by the loss of three wickets in the opening nine overs of their innings.

Jos Buttler was caught at backward point by the Durham debutant Gareth Harte off Ryan Pringle for only four, and the England batsman's dismissal followed that of Karl Brown, brilliantly caught by a diving Harte off Rushworth for eight. Arron Lilley was pouched by wicketkeeper Stuart Poynter off Coughlin for 12.

However, Durham's delight at making those early breakthroughs was dulled a little by the shoulder injury suffered by Adam Hickey, who was forced to leave the field when just failing to complete a diving catch off Lilley.

Pringle had Livingstone leg before in the 12th over when playing a rather ugly sweep and the off-spinner also dismissed Dane Vilas to finish with three for 30. But McLaren and Croft ensured that Lancashire posted a respectable total with Croft finishing on 35 not out.

Durham's reply began with a flurry of boundaries from Graham Clark, two of which were struck off his brother Jordan, but the Durham opener was eventually caught at cover by Livingstone off McLaren for 24.

The introduction of Parkinson brought immediate success when the leg-spinner had Harte leg before for 11 but Cameron Steel and Jack Burnham were maintaining the momentum of the pursuit before Burnham was bowled by Clark's excellent slower ball.

With nine overs remaining Durham still needed 97 to win but those hopes were dented when Jordan Clark removed Steel for 37 and Paul Collingwood for four in the same over.

Clark finished with three for 36 and Parkinson added the wicket of Poynter to end with two for 23 as Durham's reply ran out of resources.