LANCASHIRE League leaders Enfield saw their title hopessuffer a further blow with a second successive defeat at in-form Burnley.

Enfield were brushed aside by eight-wickets but the good news for David Bracewell's men was the result at Acre Bottom where second-placed Ramsbottom gained just three after being beaten by champions Lowerhouse.

Burnley continued their climb up the league at Enfield's expense after the visitors had failed to put enough runs on the board in a rain-affected tie at Turf Moor.

Having won the toss following a delayed start, Enfield struggled to 114-6 in their 35 overs thanks largely to miserly spell of 2-27 in 17 overs from Burnley pro Jonathan Harvey.

With Craig Fergusson and professional Alviro Petersen putting on 40 for the second wicket the visitors would have hoped for better.

But with both falling with the total on 45, Petersen to a fine caught and bowled by all-rounder Jonathan Clare, Enfield subsided to 89-6 in the 30th-over.

A spirited partnership between Chris Maudsley and Neil Holmes gave their side a glimmer of hope but any remote chance of victory then disappeared with a second break for rain at tea. With 15 overs lost, Burnley elected to chase the full target in 20 overs in a virtual no-lose situation.

With the 'no-result' option also in Burnley's favour, Enfield's only hope of forcing a victory was to bowl out the hosts and that never looked likely, despite an early strike from Petersen.

The South African found Clare's outside edge in the first over but that was his only success as Petersen's first four overs went for 33.

A 79-run stand between Vishal Tripathi and Ben Law swept Burnley to the brink of victory as they always stayed comfortably ahead of the required rate.

Lancashire second-teamer Tripathi showed his undoubted class with a 40-ball half-century, reaching his half-century with a straight six of Sam Reidy.

Reidy contributed to Law's dismissal when he deflected a Tripathi drive onto the stumps at the non-striker's end but Law's departure for 29 proved academic.

Skipper Harvey did not hang about in helping Tripathi over the finishing line with the opener taking Burnley to victory with his second six to go with his half-a-dozen fours.

Half-centuries from Jimmy Bibby and stand-in professional Paul Harris and a six-wicket burst from Richard Rostron carried Rishton to a 17-run victory over Todmorden at Centre Vale.

Rishton posted an impressive 177-6 from their 40 overs and despite a reduced target following further rain Todmorden came up short.

Bibby and Harris did much to push the total beyond Todmorden's reach as they added 83 for the third wicket, Bibby hitting 53 from 75 balls with eight fours and Harris making 72 from 87 deliveries with six fours and two sixes.

Rostron then made crucial early in-roads as the hosts chased a revised target of 138 in 28 overs, reducing Todmorden to 31-3 en route to taking the first five wickets.

Home professional Morn van Wyk kept his side in with a chance with a top score of 46 but once he fell to Rostron, one of three victims for skipper Peter Sleep standing in behind the stumps, Rishton closed out a second successive victory.

Accrington lost to the final ball at home to Haslingden with former professional Tama Canning playing a leading part in their downfall.

Canning claimed 4-45 as Accrington reached 129-5 in 37 overs and then hit 18 as the visitors reached their target from the last of their 24 overs. Without being able to bowl the minimum required 25 overs Accrington could not have claimed a win from the tight finish but would have liked to have bagged three points from a no-result by keeping the visitors below their total.

However, a boundary at the death from Andrew Smith off professional Nishit Shetty took that from their grasp after David Ormerod had bowled a tight three-wicket spell at the other end.

Earlier, Graeme Sneddon had hit his maiden league fifty off 104 balls with seven fours, sharing in a 99-run stand with Shetty, who made 46.

Church remain bottom of the table after being unable to force a result at fellow strugglers Rawtenstall.

With just 23 overs to bat, Church needed to beat Rawtenstall's 39-over total of 176 but despite a brave effort finished 25 runs short to claim three points from an incomplete match.

Skipper Phil Sykes and professional Ruvin Peiris put on 80 for the second-wicket to give Church's run-chase the required momentum but their departures and the end of a rapid knock from the promoted Nick Westwell snuffed out any hopes of an unlikely win.

Peiris made 51 from 40 balls with four sixes and four fours.