DURHAM tamely squandered a flying start in last night's NatWest T20 Blast tie at home to Lancashire and suffered their third successive defeat.

With Ashwell Prince anchoring the pursuit of Durham's 141 all out with an unbeaten 63, the Lightning were able to pace their reply much more comfortably than had looked likely in easing home by six wickets.

It threatened to be tight when Lancashire needed 43 off five, but after Australian James Faulkner smashed two huge leg-sides sixes only 12 were needed when he was sensationally caught on the mid-wicket boundary for 23.

Ryan Pringle took the catch but as he slid towards the rope he flipped the ball up for Scott Borthwick to juggle before clinging on.

It didn't stop Lancashire winning with 11 balls to spare to oust Durham from fourth spot by virtue of a superior run rate.

After choosing to bat, Mark Stoneman opened up with a 28-ball half-century. It was only his third in Twenty20 cricket and two of them have come against Lancashire this season.

He reached it with his sixth four off the second ball of the 11th over, but that was the last time Durham found the boundary.

Stoneman fell to the next ball and having scorched to 92 for three after ten overs Durham added only a further 49 runs. They were all out with one ball unused.

Stoneman said: “We butchered it after a great start. We should have had 170-180 and I have to take some responsibility myself for getting out when I did. My partnership with Paul Collingwood was crucial.

“But we messed up in a couple of Royal London Cup games last year and still managed to win it, so it's not all over.”

It looked like a 180 pitch from the outset as Lancashire's decision to open up with Zimbabwean seamer Kyle Jarvis following his success in championship cricket backfired as he bowled too short.

Stoneman pulled the first ball over mid-on for four, the second to fine leg for three and cracked the fourth off the back foot to the cover boundary.

With the last ball producing four leg byes the over cost 18, but two wickets fell in the second.

Phil Mustard was well caught at extra cover by Arron Lilley off Faulkner, then Calum MacLeod cracked the Australian left-armer over backward point for four before an attempted steer to third man produced an edge to wicketkeeper Alex Davies.

Tom Bailey fared worse than Jarvis as Stoneman pulled him over mid-wicket for six as 16 came off the third over.

Bailey then misfielded at mid-off to allow the promoted Usman Arshad four runs he should not have had. He also edged a four but resorted to slogging too quickly and skied a catch to mid-on.

Durham had blazed to 52 after four overs, but with three wickets down there was a need for slight caution as Collingwood settled in.

The boundaries dried up against the spinners until Stoneman square drove Lilley for his sixth four to reach 51.

But when he then went down the pitch to a leg-stump ball and missed it he wasn't sure whether he had been stumped or bowled. The third umpire in the Sky-televised match confirmed it was the latter.

Tinkering with the batting order meant anchor man Gordon Muchall had been demoted a place and it clearly didn't suit him, especially when Collingwood skied a catch off Lilley to backward point.

Muchall made eight off 14 balls before driving a catch to deep mid-off to give impressive left-armer Stephen Parry his only wicket.

Jarvis redeemed himself by finishing with three for 24, but if Lancashire included him because they thought seam would prove more effective than spin they were mistaken.

With Steven Croft also chipping in by bowling John Hastings with a well-flighted delivery, the three spinners had combined figures of 11-0-61-4.

Pringle again went in before Hastings, but his two attempted big hits went skywards. One fell just short of the man rushing in from deep mid-wicket and the second was held at long-off.

Lancashire sent in Paul Horton to open, but he was bowled by the first ball of the second over, trying to work Chris Rushworth to leg.

Rushworth then came under fire from Karl Brown, who drove him wide of mid-on for two fours, then straight down the ground and over mid-wicket for two sixes.

Rushworth had his revenge when he nipped one back to bowl Brown for 26.

Prince had three escapes. On one he sliced John Hastings to Keaton Jennings at cover on the half volley; on 36 he was badly missed by Borthwick at long-off; and on 46 he survived a sharp return chance to Pringle.

Otherwise he looked in control as he worked the ball into spaces to reach 50 off 42 balls and he was still there at the end.