ANDREW Flintoff today revealed the secret of his unstoppable batting form - not quite 40 winks a day, but 40 minutes with 'Winker'.

Leicestershire were the latest team to suffer from Freddie's flashing blade as he smashed 71 from 55 balls on the second day at Aigburth with only a declaration by Warren Hegg denying him a third Championship century of the season.

Hegg declared on 503 for six - Lancashire's highest ever score at the Aigburth ground.

Flintoff has now scored 519 runs in only six first class innings at an average of more than 100. He took his tally of sixes for the year to 18 with three more maximums, including one which sailed over the sightscreen at the Mersey End and into the net of one of the tennis courts beyond it.

"This must be the best batting run I've had," he said, putting it down to his daily net session with manager Mike 'Winker' Watkinson.

"I've worked hard on my game in the nets. I have 40 minutes a day with Winker and that means I'm much more confident when I go out to the middle."

On the first day of the Leicester game on Wednesday, Flintoff and Watkinson went for their net session in the rain during the tea interval, and he stayed in touch yesterday morning with another 40-minute practice.

He didn't come in until well after lunch, with each of Lancashire's top five scoring at least a half-century, and Mark Chilton going on to reach three figures for the third time this season.

Stuart Law and Carl Hooper built on the foundations laid by Chilton, Iain Sutcliffe and Mal Loye on the first day with an entertaining fourth wicket stand of 123 in 26 overs, with Law falling 18 short of his third ton of the year and Hooper racing from three to 74 in only 55 balls.

"It's much easier to come in when Hoops has been hitting sixes out of the park," added Flintoff.

The big question now, for Lancashire and England, is when will Freddie be ready to bowl, with less than a fortnight until the start of the one-day campaign against Pakistan at Old Trafford.

"We still don't know," he admitted. "I'm getting daily physio and there are signs of an improvement. I've just got to be patient. It's a bit frustrating but that's all I can do."

Lancashire's target today was to keep Leicestershire below the 354 they need to avoid the follow-on, after reducing them to 117 for four.

Sajid Mahmood made the first breakthrough, shaking up Leicester's young opener John Maunders with a nasty lifter then angling the next ball across the left-hander to have him caught at first slip by Flintoff.

Three overs later Glen Chapple claimed the big wicket of Virender Sehwag, with Hooper making a sharp catch look ridiculously simple at second slip.

Then Peter Martin took over in a hostile spell from the River End. First he had Leicester's second overseas player, Brad Hodge, lbw playing no shot, and then nightwatchman David Masters fended a short ball to Iain Sutcliffe at short leg.

Chris Schofield hit the first double century of his career as Lancashire's second team piled up a huge score against Warwickshire in Stratford.

The leg-spinning all-rounder made 210, and with opener Mark Currie adding a

century and Earby'sSteven Crook following his five wickets with some big hitting, Lancashire claimed a big first innings lead.