Paul Horton chose the ideal time to record his highest County Championship score for more than 13 months to help Lancashire to a crucial three-day victory over Worcestershire at Old Trafford.

The 26-year-old opener recorded a patient 170-ball 77 with 10 fours to help the Red Rose county chase down 264 for the loss of three wickets.

The 17-point win keeps Lancashire on the fringes of the Division One title race but defeat would have plunged them into a relegation fight.

Worcestershire have still not won a game all season.

Horton was helped along by Mark Chilton’s 45 off 142 balls and the pair shared 109 for the second wicket after the early loss of Mal Loye.

VVS Laxman later hit an unbeaten 64 off 93 balls and Steven Croft 40 not out off 81 in an unbroken stand of 91 to guide the hosts home.

Loye was trapped lbw by Matt Mason in the fourth over of the day, the 17th of the chase, for 17 to leave the score at 42-1.

But Horton and Chilton negated the threat posed by Mason, who had eight wickets in the match to his name, and picked off the runs from new ball partner Ashley Noffke in particular.

Lancashire lunched at 99-1 and needed another 165 to win in five sessions.

Horton reached his third Championship fifty of the season with a back foot punched boundary, the milestone coming up off 121 balls with six boundaries.

The pair recorded their hundred partnership in the 56th over and Worcester captain Vikram Solanki was running out of options.

But he was at least given a ray of light by off-spinner Gareth Batty in the next over when he removed Horton caught by Daryl Mitchell at first slip. It left Lancashire at 151-2.

Batty then saw Chilton lunge forward and looped a catch to short-leg.

Rain forced the umpires to call an early tea with Lancashire at 184-3 and needing 80 for the win.

Laxman had reached 23 at this stage and later confirmed his first four-day fifty of his second spell with the county off 72 balls with five fours.

The win was Lancashire’s third of the campaign and their first in five matches since winning at New Road in early May.

They remain fourth in the table ahead of Wednesday’s trip to face Warwickshire at Edgbaston.