ENFIELD remain third in the Lancashire League table after claiming a three-wicket win against CHURCH to do the double over their local rivals.

A Ben Dowling hat-trick finished off the Church innings at Blackburn Road on Saturday, the visitors being all out for 138.

At one point Enfield were 107-7 during their reply but Joe Wrigley (23) and Hassan Fazal (14) steered the hosts home without further loss.

They are now just six points behind Ramsbottom, who slipped up with a defeat at East Lancashire. That allowed Lowerhouse to go top and Enfield trail the leaders by 16 points.

Church had won the toss and decided to bat, with Levi Wolfenden and professional Usman Tariq putting on 12 before Wolfenden fell for 10, bowled by Fazal.

Just eight runs were added before Lloyd Aspin went for 6, again bowled by Fazal, and his younger brother brother Harvey couldn’t build on his 97 not out against Haslingden the night before as he went for 0, caught by Greg Jones off the bowling of Fazal (3-25).

Church captain Craig Fergusson joined Tariq and the pair put on 58 before Enfield pro Werner Coetsee picked up Tariq for 36, while Bilal Abbas (2) was run out for the second time in three weeks.

That sparked a collapse from 95-4 to 107-7 before Adam Greenwood (28) and Jack Gaskill (10) steadied the ship but Dowling (3-25) swept up the tail to bowl Church out after 47 overs.

Enfield got off to a bad start as Jones went for 1 off the bowling of Andrew Bentley (4-48). Pro Coetsee soon followed for 4, leaving Enfield on 12-2, before captain Adam Bracewell joined Liam Bedford.

But with the score on 47, Bedford went for 22, caught by Bilal Abbas off the bowling of Bentley.

Bracewell (19) followed eight runs later with the Church keeper Sam Tucker taking the catch off Kamran Basharat.

Tiarnen Hamill top scored with 26 but his dismissal left Enfield in a spot of bother at 92-6 with 47 still required.

Chris Maudsley then fell for 13 but a crucial partnership between Wrigley and Fazal saw Enfield reach their target in the 44th over, while Church slipped one place to sixth.

This Sunday, ENFIELD visit ninth-placed Todmorden while CHURCH travel to ACCRINGTON, who got back to winning ways last Saturday as they thrashed RISHTON to go fifth in the table.

Last year’s champions romped to a 123-run win, with Graham Lloyd hitting an unbeaten 95 from 50 balls and pro Ockert Erasmus taking 5-27 to send Accy above Church, who they host this Sunday.

Rishton won the toss at Thorneyholme Road and decided to field, but Accy openers Sam Excell and Ramiz Hussain put on 74 before Hussain went for 38, caught behind by Shaun Wyse off the bowling of Ali Sartaj (4-64). Sartaj then trapped Jake Clarke (2) leg before, leaving the hosts 81-2.

Erasmus joined Excell and the pair put on 39 before Sartaj also trapped Excell (48) leg before.

Graeme Sneddon didn’t trouble the scorers but the experienced Lloyd and Erasmus then put on a 129-run partnership for the fifth wicket. Erasmus (45) and Bryn Hargreaves (0) fell at the death as Accrington finished on 252-6.

Rishton got off to the worst possible start as Brad Juliff (0) was caught by Jake Clarke off Erasmus in the first over.

Abdul Bisoodwall (6) and Chris Lambert (24) then put on 38 before the visitors collapsed from 38-1 to 48-4, leaving themselves in major trouble.

Sartaj and Shaun Wyse offered some resistance, both scoring 22, but another Rishton collapse from 99-4 to 115-9 put them on the brink of defeat. Erasmus picked up the final wicket while Excell finished with 2-28 and Jimmy Hayhurst 2-27.

Those contributions from Lambert, Sartaj and Wyse pulled Rishton up to 129 but extras proved their highest score with 30.

Accrington are now within seven points of fourth-placed Haslingden while struggling Rishton have dropped to second-bottom. They host East Lancs this Sunday.

There was more misery for Rishton’s second team last weekend as they lost to East Lancs in the Cup semi-final.

WEEKEND TEAMS
ACCRINGTON
1st XI v Church (H, Sun):
S Hanson (c), M Ali, G Sneddon, M Wilson, J Clarke, R Hussain, J Hayhurst, A Hasham, B Hargreaves, S Excell, O Erasmus (p). Meet Accrington 11.45
2nd XI v Church (A, Sun): Jon Hayhurst (c), A Greenwood, G Khan, L Smalley, B Lloyd, J Lloyd, D Cunningham, L Whitford, H Hindle, T Hussain, AN Other. Meet Church 11.45.

CHURCH
1st XI v Lowerhouse, 20/20 Final (A, Fri):
C Fergusson, L Wolfenden, L Aspin, H Aspin, A Bentley, JW Gaskill, S Tucker, P Gilrane, K Basharat, A Greenwood, U Tariq.
V Accrington (A, Sun): Same team except S Holt replaces P Gilrane.
2nd XI v Accrington (H, Sun): L Gilrane, B Abbas, B Shorrock, D Dyson, S Berko, S Stokes, J Scully, T Hussain, JP Gaskill, A Kelly, S Griffin.12th Man: S Hayden. Meet Church at 12.

ENFIELD
1st XI v Todmorden (A, Sun):
A Bracewell, L Jackson, J Wrigley, C Maudsley, H Fazal, L Bedford, S O’Loughlin, G Jones, B Dowling, T Hamill, W Coetsee (p).
2nd XI v Todmorden (H, Sun): J Seedle, M Ahmed, D Bracewell, C Bowness, J Cook, S Wilkinson, A Whittaker, R Brereton, A Fazal, K Demaine, L Wright. 12th Man: S Cook.