BAXENDEN skipper Mark Rishton hopes his side have learnt lessons from last season - and can hold their nerve in the final run-in.

With eight games to go in the Ribblesdale League season, it is tight at the top with at least four teams battling it out for the title.

Last season, Bash led the way until they came unstuck towards the end and had to settle for the runners-up spot.

And the skipper hopes that doesn’t happen again to his side.

"We won’t know if we learnt from last season until the final games but I hope we use it as a yardstick and this time, we win the important games.

"I don’t know what it was last season - whether it was mental tiredness - but we lost the big games against Blackburn Northern and Great Harwood and that cost us.

"Perhaps we got a little complacent but we fell short at the end and it was disappointing and we don’t want that to happen again."

This season Baxenden are the team chasing as Great Harwood sit at the top of the table.

"I don’t know if it is better to be at the top or be second. I guess that there is less pressure being in the group behind but we know that, in the run-in, we have to win almost all our games now and there is little room for error."

The teams in with a big chance of the title are Harwood, Bash, Edenfield and Padiham.

And it promises to be an nail-biting finale with Bash still to play Harwood and Padiham and Ramsbottom Cup winners Padiham also have to face Harwood. Edenfield also play Baxenden a week tomorrow so it is wide open.

"It promises to be an interesting run-in," said Rishton. "Edenfield have sneaked in after having a double win weekend when three out of the top four lost so they will believe they are in with a good chance.

"But it is good knowing we have to play each other and knowing that we aren’t dependent on teams slipping up - it is in our hands to win our games. It certainly keeps everyone on their toes and makes the league exciting.

"But while we are looking at those big games, the other games are the ones you also have to concentrate on as these are the ones you can fall down on.

"We play Ribblesdale Wanderers this weekend and they got beat by Padiham in the Ramsbottom Cup final and will want to bounce back - these are the teams you need to watch out for and make sure you are on top of your game for."

Former England batsman Ian Austin is certainly chalking up high scores at the moment with 664 league runs for the Back Lane side.

"Since we have moved Oscar to opener he has very rarely failed and him and Parky (Dave Parkinson) have been giving us good starts to games.

"We are quite a young side so we have to hope the experience of the likes of Oscar can make sure we do keep going until the end of the season and hold our nerve."

And pro Will Purser has 43 league wickets to his name. "He is bowling well for us and he doesn’t want to come off.

"He wants to bat more but we do have a strong batting line-up. People will get their chance though."

Both Hyndburn sides maintained their top two spots with wins at the weekend - although Baxenden missed out on the two bowling points.

Rishton’s men confined Clitheroe to 150-6 and then Austin notched a half-century and, although they lost five wickets, Bash claimed the win.

And Great Harwood picked up another 12 points, this time against local rivals Oswaldtwistle Immanuel.

Gerard Metcalf’s Immanuel side only made 57 as Harwood pro Syed Shahabuddin starred with the ball again with six wickets - taking his statistics to 69 league wickets for the season.

It wasn’t too comfortable in the chase as Harwood did lose wickets as Andrew Metcalf claimed three scalps but they got through with five wickets to spare.

Harwood face Earby this weekend who have moved off the bottom while Immanuel, who now prop up the table, could do themselves and their Hyndburn neighbours a favour by overcoming fourth placed Padiham.