The fixture was brought about by the rearranged game from the wash out at Liverpool Road earlier in the season and it was thanks to excellent individual performances on both sides that saw a share of the spoils after two enthralling games.

After a very wet morning the match on Saturday was able to go ahead with the loss of only three overs per side, in the main down to the excellent work done by the Lowerhouse ground staff and helpers.

The home side won the toss and on a greenish but dry wicket invited Burnley to bat first. This decision was looking good when Burnley lost Daniel Pickup with the score on six. However, the next five Burnley batsmen all 'got in' but failed to go to a big score, with the exception of Vishal Tripathi.

He managed to post 30 on the scoreboard while other contributions came from Chris Burton (15),Jeevantha Kulatunga (24), caught brilliantly at square leg by Paddy Martin, Kelly(10) and Jamal (15) leaving Burnley with a hopeless task of posting any sort of score. They were eventually all out in the 40th over for 128.

For the home side Ian Butler, sub professional hot from the New Zealand 20/20 World Cup squad, had both the scalps of the openers finishing with 2-47 off 11 overs. Young Collins assisted him with 2-44 off 11 overs alongside Joe Hawke (2-15) and the returning Jonathan Finch with 4-21 off his eight overs. Burnley's middle order again failing to produce.

Buoyed by their excellent performance in the field the Lowerhouse openers Finch and Hawke had 36 on the board after only four overs, by which time the writing was really on the wall for the visitors.

At 60 the first wicket fell quickly followed by two further wickets leaving Lowerhouse on 71-3, but still in command with veteran Chris Blezard back in the pavilion.

Captain Charlie Cottam dispensed any thoughts of a collapse and with the help of Ben Heap (18) not out and Joe Beneduce (10) not out and with Cottam contributing 23 before becoming Bharat Tripathi's fourth victim they passed the Burnley total with only five wickets down, thus taking the 12 points to Burnley's one.

Jonathan Finch showed what Lowerhouse had been missing following up his bowling performance with an excellent 39, and no doubt they are pleased to see his return from Rainhall as they went second in the league.

Bharat Tripathi continued to show why he is the leading amateur bowler in the league by finishing with 4-45 off his 17 overs. Captain Brunt had creditable figures of 1-43 off 11 overs but their efforts were all in vain once the home side had started so well.

Sunday saw the venues reversed and on a bright sunny but breezy day and on a "200" wicket, to quote Burnley groundsman Derek Carter, Lowerhouse won the toss and elected to take first use of the excellent strip.

Burnley must have thought that at 50-1 after 10 overs they were on to another big run chase, but suddenly it became 52-2 in the 11th over and matters quickly changed.

No doubt the hard line talk given by Steve Brunt in the Burnley pre-match warm-up was getting home to his squad and their overall body language was far different than the previous day.

Professional Jeevantha who was bowling with more aggression and speed had three of the first four wickets to fall which in itself lifted the Burnley ranks. Bharat Tripathi opening the bowling again from the Belvedere Road end nagged away for 24 overs eventually finishing with 6-58 which included two wonderful caught and bowled.

His weekend haul of 10 wickets lifting him to 43 wickets for the season. Paddy Martin was the victim of an extraordinary piece of fielding by Jamal who picked up and threw down the wicket from right angles all in one movement.

A late flourish of hitting by Joe Beneduce and Scott Hope who had 15 and 17 not out respectively took the Lowerhouse tally towards their final total of 135 in the 49th over.

This was someway short of what the visitors had been looking at after 10 overs and having been 100 off 34 overs. All credit to the whole Burnley team who looked a different outfit to Saturday.

Opening with Vishel Tripathi and Daniel Pickup Burnley began cautiously in the face of some tight bowling. On reaching 19 and with the score on 34 Burnley lost their first wicket but 13 overs had gone down. But 34-1 soon became 39-2 when Finch had Chris Burton caught at first slip to an outstanding catch by Paddy Martin.

While Finch and sub professional Wes Robinson from Western Australia were bowling tightly the Burnley target remained a long way off, however, when Kulatunga joined Pickup the scoring rate increased with the Burnley professional adopting his usual attacking policy – Russell, Collins and Martin conceding some 62 runs in the eight overs they sent down and this onslaught brought Burnley to their total in the 37th over.

Pickup's patient 50 not out held the innings together and Jeevantha's 53 not out with a flourish of boundaries lifted the hearts of the home supporters and Burnley took the 12 points winning by eight wickets.

l Lowerhouse have signed New Zealander Ian Butler, a right arm fast bowler and a middle order batsman, for eight games commencing next Sunday when East Lancashire are their visitors.

Butler hails from Otago and is 27 years old and has been successful in the Kiwi's 20/20 team.
Meanwhile, Burnley will travel to Bacup on Sunday, wickets pitched at 1-15 p.m.