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Andy Flintoff knows that even the fastest century of the season won't make too much of an impression with the England selectors.

Freddie's bludgeoning performance against Gloucester at Bristol was a show of brute power, rather then the classy technique which wins Test honours, but it did underline one of the qualities which will serve him well in his bid to stay in the England spotlight.

``You need some bottle to produce an innings like that after the disappointment he has just suffered,'' said Lancashire coach Dave Whatmore, who described Flintoff's 158 off 105 balls as ``simply awesome.''

``He went out to take the game on, and gripped it by the scruff of the neck,'' Whatmore added.

Flintoff blasted his century off 61 balls with five sixes and 15 fours, and added another 11 boundaries on his way to a career best.

``I needed to bounce back after what happened in the World Cup and this was the perfect way to do it. It was good to get some runs, but I wouldn't say it was my best innings.''

Flintoff did it all with a bat borrowed from England captain Alex Stewart after his own was stolen from Edgbaston last Sunday during the game with India.

``It is the same make and weight as mine - I think I'll hang onto it, because I'm unlikely to get mine back. They got a description of the bloke who took it, slim, dark hair, wearing jeans - only trouble is that there were about 10,000 like that in the ground.

``I'm not really worrying about England at the moment. All I want to do is concentrate on playing well for Lancashire, and I know I've got to carry this form on.''

Flintoff added 227 in stands with Mark Chilton and Graham Lloyd, on a day where every other batsman hd to chisel out the runs.

They finished on 324-8 when the rain, which had already cost two days, swept down again.