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A dejected Dav Whatmore last night looked back on Lancashire's latest championship defeat by Warwickshire and reflected: ``I don't think they won it - we lost it.''

Lancashire went down fighting, with half centuries by skipper John Crawley and wicket keeper Warren Hegg, and 49 from Mike Watkinson taking them to within 20 of a tough victory target of 285.

But in the end they were made to pay for their awful first innings batting performance, and also some sloppy dismissals early yesterday, leaving them in the bottom three of the table.

After Warwickshire's last pair of Graeme Welch and Ed Giddins had managed to add 21 to their overnight total of 190-9 - and how important those runs were to prove - Lancashire slumped to 71-4.

Mark Chilton ran himself out going for a quick single to Trevor Penney, probably the best cover fielder in county cricket. Andy Flintoff failed to capitalise on a big let off before he had scored, when he was caught off a no ball, and lost his off stump going for a pull off Welch.

And Graham Lloyd was deceived by a clever piece of bowling by Giddins two balls before lunch, slashing at a faster ball off a short run and dragging it on to his stumps. With Neil Fairbrother falling caught behind to a good ball from Giddins, Crawley was left to watch in horror from the other end.

But after lunch Lancashire made a much better fist of things. Watkinson joined him to put on 107 in 37 overs for the fifth wicket, and Warwickshire were hugely relieved when Dougie Brown had him caught in the slips one short of a deserved 50.

Then Brown added the crucial wicket of Crawley, caught behind after battling more than four hours for 76, his second half century of the match. Ian Austin seemed unlucky to be given out lbw for a duck, and Peter Martin was unable to hang around for long.

But Hegg teamed up with bowling hero Muttiah Muralitharan and young Paul Ridgway to add 47 runs for the last two wickets before he was trapped lbw by Brown for a gutsy 58.

``To get 260-odd in the second innings was a great effort,'' said Whatmore. ``It was the highest total of the game and if we had shown a portion of that fight earlier in the match it might have been enough to win.''

Warwickshire skipper Neil Smith expressed his sympathy for Muralitharan. ``He was magnificent, and anybody with those sort of figures who finishes up on the losing side is going to feel aggrieved,'' said Smith.

``It was his first proper game in county cricket and he might have a few words to say about some of their batsmen and their shot selection.''

Lancashire have a chance for revenge with a CGU National League game against Warwickshire at Edgbaston tomorrow.