BIG-HITTING Barrow CC product Liam Livingstone is enjoying a brilliant First Class debut for Lancashire.

The 22-year-old batsman top-scored with 70 to help the Red Rose county gain a healthy first innings lead in their four-day County Championship Division One opener against Nottinghamshire, which started on Sunday.

Livingstone came to the crease on the second day at Old Trafford with the home side in a bit of trouble at 156 for five, still trailing Notts by 86 runs. But his thrilling 72-run partnership with Alex Davies steered the Red Rose to near parity.

When Davies departed, Livingstone continued in positive fashion, driving two successive deliveries from England fast bowler Stuart Broad to the square cover boundary on his way to reaching 50 off 87 balls.

As a result, he became only the fifth Lancashire player batting at number seven to score a half-century on debut.

Livingstone was unbeaten on 63 overnight after sharing a 62-run partnership for the ninth wicket with Kyle Jarvis.

The former Chetwynde School pupil did not last long yesterday morning before being dismissed lbw to Jake Ball for a top score of 70.

But his 124-ball innings, which included seven fours and lasted more than three hours, helped Lancashire to 332 all out and a first-innings lead of 90.

“It was a good day for us, it’s a decent batting wicket,” Livingstone told Lancashire’s official website. We got a good lead.

“We try to build partnerships as a team, that helps take the pressure off. It’s something we really concentrate on.

“The bigger the lead, the more we can have attacking field when they bat.”

He added: “I found out I was playing last Friday, but I wasn’t particularly nervous before the game which was a good thing.

“It’s helped me to relax and play my natural game.

“It’s another challenge and I just take it on.

“I’m playing with a lot of mates and Ashley Giles (the Lancashire coach) puts a lot of faith in us young boys, and hopefully today I did alright.”

Livingstone took a catch on the first day to help fellow debutant and New Zealand international Neil Wagner take six for 66 in Notts’ first innings and also got to turn his arm over yesterday.

He added a second catch of the match when snaffling Brendan Taylor at midwicket off Jarvis yesterday.

The big hitter has already made his mark in Lancashire’s Twenty20 side, helping the Lightning end their 16-year wait for limited-overs silverware last season by claiming the NatWest T20 Blast title.

His performances with the bat earned him a new contract at Old Trafford last summer after producing some explosive innings.

They included a match-winning 91 on his Royal London One-Day Cup debut against Kent at Canterbury and a world record innings in club cricket, when he scored 350 from 138 balls while playing for Nantwich.