Defending champions Accrington secured their first win of the season against local rivals Rishton on Sunday.

And they had stalwarts Graham Lloyd (69) and Matt Wilson (47) to thank for their morale boosting win.

The Thorneyholme Road side were stuttering at 26-3 before pro Will Driver came in and then Lloyd with the latter putting on a vital 100 fourth wicket partnership with Wilson to set them on their way to 200.

Rishton did stutter in reply and, had it not been for skipper Craig Smith, the game would have been over long before.

He made a battling 58 and Sam Hacking provided some late resistance but they fell 44 runs short.

Matt Lambert for Rishton and Accrington’s David Ormerod took four wickets each.

The day before both Hyndburn sides fell to defeats.

Accrington took on Nelson and Driver’s 56 was the pick of the bunch as he made it three half-centuries in his three games so far.

But, apart from Lloyd, the rest of the Thorneyholme Road batsman couldn’t back him up in their 180 as Nelson sub pro Gary Brent stole the show with seven wickets.

Nelson had a revised target of 131 in 35 overs and opener Stuart Lemon set the ball rolling with 67. Helped by former Enfield paid man Brent (25), they clinched the win on faster scoring rate.

Rishton are still on the hunt for their first win after losing to second placed Haslingden at Bentgate on Saturday.

Pro Andrea Agathalelou is still getting used to the wickets while debutant Mo Patel made 33 but it was lower order batsman Irfan Muhammed whose late unbeaten 35 top scored and set a target of 166.

Haslingden always have the big hitters though and, despite Barry Hamilton removing paid man Phil Hayes early on, caught by the pro, captain Graham Knowles’ 72 was the foundation for their victory.

Andrew Bentley’s Church are also still awaiting their first win of the season after a double-header weekend saw both games lost from strong, potentially winning situations.

They made a formidable total of 231-7 at home to Rawtenstall on Saturday - a second-wicket stand of 89 between Craig Fergusson (64) and pro Luke Woodcock was the basis of the innings after new boy opener Ameer Mirza again impressed with 22.

Levi Wolfenden chipped in with 22 and Phil Gilrane gave the innings a late flourish with a typically quickfire 30.

The rain reduced Rawtenstall’s reply by nine overs however and, with a wet ball, the Church bowlers were unable to contain the visitors who had the psychological boost of having their target reduced to a round 200.

The captain removed danger man Andy Payne early on but runs flowed at far too quick a rate as Church struggled with conditions and the Rossendalians got to the target with overs to spare.

Sunday’s loss at Enfield was less forgivable for Church in the local derby. Church had the home side reeling at 37-5 then 52-6 on a miserable cold day and there only looked one winner.

Mas Ahmed played some characteristically expansive shots but he and all Enfield’s big guns were gone as Levi Wolfenden and Bentley made the most of a helpful deck.

Pro Adam Bracewell was caught behind without scoring and Liam Jackson was snapped up at slip. Hassan Fazal and David Bracewell got their heads down though to add 76 runs before a change of ends for Woodcock did the trick removing Bracewell immediately and, when Bentley removed Blake, it looked odds-on Church would close out the innings.

But Fazal nudged his way to a not-out maiden 50 while Kurt Robinson and Simon O’Loughlin helped add another 31 after the fall of the eighth wicket as the lower order batsmen pulled Enfield through.

It was disappointing for Church not to claim bowling bonus points but not as disappointing as the batting reply, which began badly with Ameer Mirza experiencing his first failure of the season.

Woodcock’s dismissal -bowled by the fired-up Fazal - was the one that really gave Enfield a scent of blood and they reduced Church to similar carnage to their own earlier in the day at 59-6.

Jackson was hostile and got some prodigious lift as no batsman looked comfortable.

There was certainly no-one to prove as adhesive as Fazal although Phil Howard hung around for 13 and Phil Gilrane ended up marooned on 17 not out and a miserable afternoon ended with Sam Tucker run out by a direct David Bracewell hit without facing a ball.

Jackson claimed a collection with 5-41 and wicketkeeper Robinson claimed four victims, two of them in tandem with slow left-armer Simon O’Loughlin.

Meanwhile Enfield’s game on Saturday at Colne ended in a no result.