LANCASHIRE trio Alex Davies, Saqib Mahmood and Matthew Parkinson all played their part as the North finally broke their duck in the North-South Series in Barbados yesterday – and now they are determined to win the North-South Series.

Darwen's Davies struck 42 from 32 balls in an opening stand of 95 with Worcestershire’s Joe Clarke, then Parkinson took 3-47, and Mahmood 2-47 including the final wicket, as the South were all out for 289 in reply to North’s 335.

North had lost the first match of the series, also at the famous Kensington Oval – after suffering a 3-0 clean sweep in Dubai and Abu Dhabi last year.

But now their captain Steven Mullaney – another Lancastrian, although he left for Nottinghamshire in 2010 – has his sights set on winning the series in the decider at the 3Ws Oval today.

“It’s a great feeling to have got a win on the board,” said Mullaney, who co-wrote a team song with Davies – even though the pair will start the 2018 county season as rivals when Notts face Lancashire at Emirates Old Trafford.

“It was a real team effort, with Clarkey and Davo up top, Brett D’Oliveira and Matt Critchley getting important runs lower down, and then all the bowlers chipping in. Parky is a quality bowler and his figures show that, and Saqqy got that last crucial wicket for us – after taking his five-for in the first game.

“We celebrated the win – that’s what northerners do. But we’re here to win the series, and I definitely think we can.”

In addition to Mullaney and Critchley , the Wigan-born leg-spinner who plays for Derbyshire, the North have a sixth Lancastrian in Richard Gleeson, the Northamptonshire fast bowler from Blackpool who had struggled to adjust to the Barbados conditions until claiming the crucial wicket of Nick Gubbins with a rapid yorker – after the Middlesex opener had scored his second century in consecutive matches.

Gleeson followed up with the wicket of Delray Rawlins two balls later, also bowled, and North coach Paul Collingwood said: “Sometimes in a match like that you need something special to turn it round. That was what Glees did for us out there. Gubbins played superbly again, and it took a special ball to get him out.”