LANCASHIRE were locked in a tense battle to end their losing streak in Liverpool today despite season's best performances from Peter Martin and Alec Swann.

Martin took 5-54 in Kent's first innings, including the last three wickets in the space of five balls, to give Lancashire a lead of 12.

Then Swann hit 85 after sharing an opening stand of 118 with Mark Chilton in Lancashire's second innings.

But this seesaw match swung back towards Kent as the ball started swinging around for Mark Ealham and Amjad Khan, and Lancashire lost six wickets for 23 runs in the space of nine overs.

Suddenly their comfortable position of 156-1 had become a jittery 179-7, although Glen Chapple and John Wood managed to extend their lead beyond 200 when play resumed in bright sunshine today.

"There's definitely something in the pitch if you put the ball in the right place," said Martin, who knew that he had more work to do if Lancashire are to end a run of five consecutive defeats in one-day cricket, and claim their first Championship win since early May.

Surprisingly, the 33-year-old paceman had only played in two Championship games at Liverpool in the 13 seasons since he made his Lancashire debut, and didn't take many wickets in either of those.

But he had Matthew Walker brilliantly caught behind by Warren Hegg, then returned to fire out Khan, Min Patel and Martin Saggers in a fast, hostile over.

It was Digger's first five wicket haul of the season, and he is has now taken 26 in only nine Championship innings this summer -- superbly consistent form in his benefit year.

Swann and Chilton then built solidly on Lancashire's hard-earned advantage with a confident opening stand of 118, their best since Swann's winter move from Northants.

Chilton went for 60, his best Championship score of the year although he has scored three centuries in other matches.

Swann grafted on for a total of 217 minutes and hit nine boundaries but missed out on his maiden century for Lancashire as wickets started to tumble late.

He was lbw to Khan, who also fired out Hegg and Ryan Driver, with Ealham sending back Neil Fairbrother and Graham Lloyd with consecutive balls then claiming the crucial wicket of Stuart Law, who had dropped down the order to number six after suffering a hand injury dropping two catches in the Kent innings.