TWO Hyndburn teams are closing in on celebrating at least one piece of silverware this season.
Rishton have made the final of the league's 20/20 competition and will face Burnley at Blackburn Road tonight (6.15 start) as they strive to add another trophy to their cabinet.
And Enfield, challenging for the Lancashire League title, are in Inter-League Trophy semi-final action when they face Central Lancashire League side and current holders Littleborough at Dill Hall Lane tomorrow.
Both admit that neither trophy was a priority at the start of the season - but are now hoping to go all the way.
"We have played really well in the 20/20 competition," said Rishton captain Peter Sleep, whose 72 from 56 balls helped steer his side to a 51-run semi-final victory against Todmorden last Friday after they were struggling on 19-3.
"We seem to enjoy it and you have got to have fun in it as it is something different. All the lads are looking forward to the game and it will be nice to get a trophy on the mantlepiece. It would be great to win it and then we can concentrate on the league after that - and try and avoid any hiccups like we had against Bacup last week."
The Todmorden game marked a debut for new pro Lachlan Stevens, who has replaced the injured Vernon Philander for the rest of the season.
"Lachlan had got off the plane from Australia on Friday morning, played Friday night and Saturday and was there on Sunday in our rained off game with Lowerhouse so he was straight into it," continued Sleep.
"He is still finding his feet and settling in as he doesn't know that many people but hopefully he will do well for us.
"It should be a really good game tonight though. Jon Harvey has done well at Burnley and they are a pretty decent side. I think this will go to the wire."
Meanwhile, Enfield captain David Bracewell is hoping his side finally get a game on after the rain-affected last few weeks and see off Littleborough, whose pro is Pakistan batsman Mohammed Zaman. Enfield will be using sub pro, another Pakistan player Naved Ashraf, who competes in the Bradford League.
"Team selection should be quite interesting as everyone will suddenly become available now - they will all be coming out of the woodwork now it has got to the semi-final stage," joked the captain.
"I want to play my strongest team though and it is a competition we have always taken pretty seriously as, at the end of the day, a trophy is a trophy.
"You obviously want to win the league or the Worsley Cup as they are the biggest competitions in our league but we want to get to the final of the Inter-League now and win it."
Littleborough are in the top four of their league, are the defending champions of the Central Lancashire League and won the Inter-League Trophy last year.
But Bracewell expects his side to put on a good show. "I think it is better that we are playing Littleborough as we don't know what we are facing and, because of this, we don't fear any of their team.
"For us it is all about trying to win a trophy. In the last four years we haven't won any medals - apart from finishing runners-up in the league - so it would be good to lift a trophy, especially as the captain."
It has been a frustrating few weeks for Enfield as they look to close in on league leaders Ramsbottom.
They are reliant on sub pros because Alviro Petersen is with the emerging South African squad for a month.
"It has been really frustrating as we have paid for pros and they have hardly had to do anything because of the weather," continued the captain.
"And if we don't play tomorrow, the Inter League Trophy carries on every night next week so we will have to pay a pro for that too, it is expensive."
And second placed Enfield will need another paid man on Sunday as they take on fourth placed Burnley in the league.
"We were frustrated last week against Nelson as we were in a winning position before the rain came and you know it is 12 points lost.
"But we have got to come back against Burnley. They are like us with a good mix of youth and experience and we are hoping for a win to put some breathing space between us and them.
"The thing about our team this season is that the amateurs are winning games for us. Bacup mainly rely on Chris Cairns for match-winning performances but our amateurs have been doing that so hopefully that will carry on."
And Sleep's side are hoping to bounce back following Saturday's loss to Bacup, against Todmorden on Sunday.
Tod sub pro Jacques Rudolph - who has played five matches for the club as a replacement for Morne van Wyk - has now been called into South Africa's squad to tour Sri Lanka so Todmorden have got Pakistani Naveed Ashraf, who also sub-pros for Enfield, on Sunday.
