Cricket review: Two-win weekend for Lowerhouse but ups and downs for Burnley

A solid all-round performance secured a 45-run league win at home to Haslingden on Saturday, after Lowerhouse posted 159-6 in a match reduced to 30 overs a side.

The top five all got in and scored between 21 and 33. That top score went to Henri Cottam, who put on 60 for the third wicket with Dan Salpietro (28).

The highest score of the match was Adam Masood's 45 for Haslingden but wickets tumbled around him as the reply subsided from 49-1 to 66-6.

Francois Haasbroek took 4-20 and Salpietro 4-43 as the visitors were all out for 114, leaving House in second spot but still 22 points behind Walsden, the only unbeaten side after eight games.

Lowerhouse had made it two wins out of two in the T20 the previous evening with a 28-run home win over Enfield.

Salpietro made 68 from 35 balls, with 56 of those runs from 13 boundaries, and put on 76 for the second wicket with Thomas Walker (35) to steer the hosts to 168-8.

Captain Adam Bracewell launched the Enfield reply with 73 from 43, including seven sixes, and shared a second-wicket stand of 67 which ended when Adam Hewitt was run out for 26. But the visitors couldn't keep up with the rate, closing on 140-7.

Enfield fared even worse in the league at Burnley on Saturday, skittled out for just 69 to lose by six wickets.

Only two batters reached double figures for the second-bottom side as professional Ockert Erasmus took 4-16.

Burnley wrapped up victory in just 11.2 overs at 70-4, Keith Barker taking all four wickets for 31 runs.

Fourth-placed Burnley are five points behind Lowerhouse and host Clitheroe on Sunday, but first comes another home game against Colne in their T20 on Friday.

Burnley suffered their first T20 defeat by seven wickets at Great Harwood. Erasmus' 45 lifted the visitors from 26-4 but a total of 102-8 never looked like being enough.

A second-wicket stand of 54 between captain Matt Oddie (32) and Thikshila De Silva (33) put the hosts on course for a victory secured with 4.2 overs to spare at 104-3.

Lowerhouse head to third-placed Darwen in the league on Sunday after visiting them in the T20 on Friday. In between comes a home quarter-final against Todmorden in the Worsley Cup.

Nelson lost top spot in division two after a 66-run home defeat by Accrington, who posted 176-6 (Jurie Snyman 59 not out).

Nelson's target was reduced slightly to 173 off 47 but they were dismissed for 106 despite Neil Thompson's unbeaten 49.

Nelson have dropped three points behind Rishton and Accrington ahead of Saturday's visit to Bacup.

They had defeated Accrington by 21 runs in the T20 on Friday, posting 138-4 (Lewis Bradley 40) and restricting their visitors to 117-6.

Colne have won both T20 matches and defeated Church & Oswaldtwistle by two wickets,

The visitors had posted a challenging 173-3 (Sahan Gunasinghe 64) but Colne clinched victory with two balls to spare at 174-8 as Geeth Kumara carried his bat for 97 off 53 balls, hitting 10 sixes.

Colne's league game was abandoned at East Lancashire and they host Middleton this Sunday.