LANCASHIRE Lightning begin their T20 Blast campaign next week and Alex Davies, who played a key role in the victorious 2015 campaign, is hoping to make fresh memories this season.

Davies top scored in the final three years ago as Lancashire won the competition for the first time but the two subsequent years have seen group stage exits.

The Red Rose have also struggled in the One-Day Cup in recent seasons, missing out on a knockout place this term, but Darwen’s Davies is confident lessons have been learnt from the 50-over efforts and that, combined with a powerful squad who look adept for the short format, can help Lancashire impress in the Blast.

They host Worcestershire Rapids in their first game on Thursday at Old Trafford (6.30pm) and the games come thick and fast over the summer.

It’s a time of year that excites players and fans alike and Davies is looking forward to it.

“It is really exciting when the T20 stuff comes around,” the 23-year-old told the Lancashire Telegraph. “We want to win every single competition that we play in but it is a little bit more exciting with the T20 and the bigger crowds and the Friday nights under the lights.

“It comes around to this time of year every year and we start thinking about what we did well that year (2015) and try and replicate it.”

On being top scorer in the 2015 Blast final, Davies added: “That is three years ago. It is a nice memory and it is still one of the best days of my life and the lads that were there that day are trying to inspire the lads that weren’t there to try and tell them how special it was and spur us on to get there this year.”

And the wicketkeeper batsman believes the class of 2018 is more equipped for a successful run than the side of the years ago.

“There’s a lot more young talent in our squad this year than that year but we always think it comes down to when you peak,” he said.

“That year (2015) we didn’t actually play that good cricket for the first half of the T20 but then we got it together and finished the competition really well.

“Then once you are through the group stage you only have to win three matches and you have won the trophy so if you can peak at the right times then that helps.

“It is tricky. We want to win the group but if you finish fourth then it is the exact same. We will back ourselves to beat anyone in a quarter final and once you get to final’s day the best team on the day wins.”

And Lancashire, who are struggling in the County Championship First Division after drawing with Hampshire this week in which Davies made a century, have realistically only got the T20 competition to play for in terms of silverware given their early exit from the One-Day Cup.

Davies believes that early exit from the 50 over competition is fuelling the fire ahead of the Blast.

He added: “Over the last five or six years our One Day cricket hasn’t been up to scratch.

“I think this year we played some really, really good cricket and just came out on the wrong side of a couple of tight games.

“I think the way we played this year was really encouraging for moving forward and a lot of the lessons we have learned from that 50 over competition will stand us in quite good stead for the 20 over competition.

“There is a feeling amongst the lads that we are quite excited for the T20 having learnt what we have from the 50 over.”