England - chasing 509 to make South Africa bat again - had slumped to 208 for six after the loss of three wickets in seven balls and a mid-afternoon finish seemed inevitable.

But Flintoff raced to a top-notch ton off 112 balls with three sixes and 13 fours thanks to support from Ashley Giles, Darren Gough and Steve Harmison in the lower order.

It was his first on home soil for his country and surpassed his previous best score for England of 137 against New Zealand in Christchurch in March 2002.

But Flintoff's feat was not enough to stop the South Africans celebrating a third successive Test win on the ground with Makhaya Ntini collecting his second five-wicket haul of the game. He became the 24th player and first South African to achieve the feat of 10 wickets in a Test at Lord's.

Graeme Smith and Ntini won the man of the match award jointly. Smith put England on the back foot from the first ball of this series with his positive approach and has 621 runs to his name from just three innings.

Now England need to regroup before the third Test at Trent Bridge with question marks hanging over the future of paceman Darren Gough and wicketkeeper Alec Stewart after ineffectual performances

England resumed on 129 for two and Mark Butcher reached his half century off 100 balls with his 10th boundary.

He and Nasser Hussain moved reasonably serenely to 186 for two despite another testing spell from Pollock but the picture changed rapidly with the dismissal of Butcher for 70 opening the floodgates.

Butcher pulled Andrew Hall to Peter Kirsten at short mid-wicket, but England's resistance crumbled during a disastrous spell either side of lunch which saw them lose three wickets for no runs in seven balls.

Ntini came back into the attack for the final over before the interval and he collected the prize wicket of Hussain (61) who top-edged a hook which was easily caught by Mark Boucher.

Then two deliveries later Alec Stewart departed without troubling the scorers after edging a Ntini delivery to Hall who held a low catch at second slip.

England lunched on 208 for five and three balls after the resumption it became 208 for six when Anthony McGrath (13) was undone by an away swinger and Boucher gobbled up the chance.

Some stiff resistance was then provided by Flintoff and Ashley Giles who survived for 23 overs in adding 89 runs.

Flintoff played his normal attacking game and he lofted spinner Adams for a massive straight six. A superb straight drive off Dewald Pretorious took Flintoff to a fine 50 off 67 deliveries.

But the stand ended in tame fashion when Giles (23) nibbled at Ntini's first delivery with the new ball and Pollock took an easy catch at first slip.

That was the signal for Flintoff to go even more on the offensive and he pulled Adams for 6-4-6 from successive balls.

Darren Gough (14) helped him add 47 for the eighth wicket before he drove to Adams at cover in Pollock's second over after tea.

Flintoff was then on 85 but Harmison dug in to enable him to reach his century with a pull for four off Ntini and he was hugged by the Durham paceman.

Harmison (7) gave Ntini his fifth wicket in the same over, edging to Hall at second slip, but then Flintoff cut loose against Pollock, hitting him for three fours and a six in an over costing 20 runs.

His whirlwind innings finally ended on 142 when he gave Adams the charge and was stumped by Boucher to leave England 417 all out.

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