NEIL Fairbrother fired another contract reminder to Lancashire with a one-man rescue act at Colwyn Bay.

The 37-year-old left-hander steered them from the wreckage of 9-3 in reply to Glamorgan's massive 479 with a brilliant 102-ball century, his third of the season.

Lancashire chairman Jack Simmons has said he is prepared to beg to persuade Mike Atherton to play on for another season when his contract expires at the end of this year.

But Fairbrother remains even more important to the club.

He is easily their leading run scorer this season having hit crucial centuries in the victories over Somerset at Taunton and Leicestershire at Old Trafford.

This was probably the best of the lot as he carried the fight back to Glamorgan to lead Lancashire out of a deep hole.

Mark Chilton, John Crawley and Ryan Driver had all gone cheaply after Lancashire had plumbed new depths in the field by allowing Glamorgan's last three wickets to add 97 runs.

Crawley was undone by a superb ball from Steve Watkin which he could only edge to slip, but Chilton's misery continued as he smacked a long hop to mid on and Driver, who had scored Lancashire's first nine runs, then went to the first over of spin from Dean Cosker.

The left-hander was caught off bat and pad although it later emerged that both he and Chilton had an unusual excuse -- they may have been put off by the Glamorgan close fielders who were wearing false teeth which they had bought from a joke shop in Llandudno.

Fairbrother did not see the funny side as he launched a blistering counter-attack with Andy Flintoff.

They slammed 79 off 12 overs before Flintoff holed out to cover, but Fairbrother maintained his concentration brilliantly to reach his 45th century for Lancashire -- one more and he will move level with Jack Iddon in sixth in the all-time list.

"That felt good," he admitted afterwards, although he knew that with Lancashire still needing 71 to avoid the follow-on and only three wickets remaining, there was still work to do.