HASEEB Hameed’s determined career-best 91 off 234 balls helped Lancashire keep their LV= County Championship Division Two title hopes alive by clinching a draw against Surrey at Emirates Old Trafford today.

The Bolton teenager reached a maiden 50 off 149 balls during the afternoon as the Red Rose, faced with a virtually impossible target of 492, advanced from 22-0 to 195-7 with 18.3 overs lost to bad light.

The 18-year-old opener saw his team slip to 71-3 inside 30 overs, including Ashwell Prince for 11 in his final innings at Old Trafford before retirement after next week’s clash with Essex.

But he shared a crucial fourth-wicket partnership of 91 inside 39 overs either side of lunch with captain Steven Croft, who made 40.

Lancashire will go into that match at Chelmsford, starting on Tuesday, eight points behind leaders Surrey.

They must claim nine more points than Surrey pick up in their home clash with Northamptonshire at the Oval to claim two of the three trophies available to them this season.

Lancashire slipped into trouble this morning as Karl Brown fell lbw to Tom Curran and South Africans Alviro Petersen and Prince fell to another seamer, Matt Dunn.

Prince received a standing ovation on his way to the crease and later back to the pavilion after edging Dunn to first slip.

Former Bolton School pupil Hameed has shown his appetite for a final day fight twice in Lancashire’s last two matches.

Against Kent at Canterbury, the Red Rose had to bat out the final day for a draw and Hameed scored a determined 44 off 138 balls.

Croft also contributed on that day. The skipper hit 72 not out in 208 balls after Lancashire had been forced to follow-on.

Here, he batted for 126 balls, only to edge Tom Curran behind on the verge of tea and leave the score at 162-4 in the 69th over with the best part of 35 remaining in the day.

Bad light stopped play shortly before 4pm with Lancashire at 167-4 from 73, meaning a loss of 10 overs.

Phil Mustard fell four runs later when he edged Dunn to slip before Jordan Clark edged Tom Curran behind, leaving the score at 182-6 with 14.5 overs remaining.

Hameed was caught at leg-slip off Sam Curran with 11.4 overs left before bad light returned at 5.15pm with 8.3 left.