Liam Livingstone struck his first century of the season to help Lancashire into a strong position on the first day of Lancashire's County Championship match against Leicestershire at Liverpool.

It was the seventh first-class ton of the Barrow Cricket Club graduate's career and his first since he relinquished the captaincy following the Red Rose's relegation from Division One last year.

Livingstone made a brilliant 114 off 171 balls that included 14 fours and two sixes and it propped up Lancashire's innings after they were reduced to 128-5 after lunch.

The hosts eventually closed on 347-7 at the end of a day in which they had been put in to bat by Leicestershire, after the toss had been uncontested.

The decision looked to be paying off for the visitors, although they were helped along the way by Keaton Jennings being run out off the third delivery of the match.

Dieter Klein then dismissed Jake Lehmann (22) and Haseeb Hameed (30) before Rob Jones (11) was caught behind off Mohammad Abbas.

But in an excellent sixth-wicket stand worth 136 with Steven Croft, Livingstone helped recover his side's innings before finally being dismissed during the evening session by Neil Dexter.

Croft went on to reach 51 before being bowled by Callum Parkinson, while Josh Bohannon (41*) and Tom Bailey (29*) added useful runs down the order.