SKIPPER Joe Leach admitted Worcestershire Rapids “didn’t get enough runs” as they went down by seven wickets to Lancashire Lightning in the NatWest T20 Blast at Emirates Old Trafford.

Rapids were restricted to 127-8 after being put in on a pitch favouring the spinners and then a Jos Buttler half-century helped Lightning win with 15 balls to spare.

Now second-from-bottom Rapids will wrap up a dismal North Group programme tomorrow night at high-flying Derbyshire Falcons (7pm).

Leach, who scored 24 opening the batting, said: “We didn’t get enough runs.

"If we maybe had 25 more we may have put them under pressure.

“They bowled very well in the middle (of the innings). Their spinners made it very difficult for us.

“I don’t think it was easy to bat on. If we had got 150 we probably would have been quids in to defend that.

“But it wasn’t to be. It gripped and held which made it difficult to rotate the strike.”

Leach continued: “When you score 128 in 20 overs then you’re not going to win many games of cricket.

“It probably speaks a bit for where we are at the minute.

“We’ve struggled a bit (in the T20 Blast) whereas in the one-day competition you were seeing a lot of freedom.

“Maybe we just lack a bit of confidence.”

Director of cricket Steve Rhodes said: “We were about 15 runs short of a par score. It was going to be difficult against a good Lancashire side.

“We shouldn’t be too ashamed in losing to them. They have got six international players in their side and we have got one so they have outgunned us in that respect and outplayed us.

“It was quite a tough evening but it wasn’t an easy wicket and their spinners bowled particularly well.

“Old Trafford spins and it was one of those wickets that turns. You know when you come up here, especially with the boundary size as well, that there is going to be quite a lot of spin bowled.”

In the Sky Sports-televised contest in Manchester, Rapids were stifled by the spin after being put into bat on a pitch used for a Women’s Super League game earlier in the day.

Lancashire’s quartet of spinners returned 4-66 from 13 overs combined with in-form leg-spinner Matt Parkinson the pick of them with 1-14 from four.

Only captain and opener Leach, who fell to a fine one-handed diving catch by wicketkeeper Buttler off Ryan McLaren, and Brett D’Oliveira made 20 or more for Rapids.

Leach struck 24 off 17 balls and D’Oliveira 30 off 33 deliveries although there was a useful late cameo of 13 off seven balls from Ed Barnard.

It was a similar story in the Lightning innings with Mitchell Santner conceding only 16 runs in four overs and fellow spinner D’Oliveira also bowling tightly.

But Buttler and Liam Livingstone shared a third-wicket stand of 76 in 11 overs to see Lancashire home.

Livingstone hit 36 off 37 balls without a boundary while Buttler finished unbeaten on 52 off 40 with four fours and two sixes.