MARK Rishton can sense the good times returning to Baxenden a decade after he experienced the sweet taste of championship success.

Rishton is the club's only surviving member of the Jennings Ribblesdale League title-winning side of 1993 and he still uses those great memories to inspire his team mates.

Although the 28-year-old isn't being as bold as to predict a repeat of the glories from 10 years ago, he is confident that Baxenden will banish last season's failure firmly to the history books.

Rishton said: 'I keep telling the players what a good feeling it was to win the league so I hope we can have some success this season.

"After last year we'd be looking at top five or six in the league and having a good cup run. With people playing to their strengths we can move further up the table."

Baxenden slumped to fourth from bottom last season just a year after coming third in the Ribblesdale League, but Rishton is pleased that they don't have similar expectations weighing them down this year.

He added: "Last season a few people were tipping us to win it.

"I don't know whether we were too confident but results didn't go our way and once it started going against us we didn't get out of that rut.

"It was the same team that finished third the year before so there were no changes in personnel.

"It was so disappointing that this season we owe it to the chairman and the club because last year we under-performed, the players didn't do as well as they should have.

"It's been a case of everyone getting their own things in order and that will benefit the whole team."

However, even this season it's taken Baxenden time to find their form after losing their first two league games.

Rishton's 85 not out wasn't enough to prevent an opening day defeat to Ribblesdale Wanderers then they went down to Earby.

But their first league victory over Clitheroe and an abandoned game against Great Harwood in which they had reached 133-1 before the rain spoilt things, turned the tide.

A Ramsbottom Cup win over Barnoldswick further lifted the gloom at Back Lane, although more adverse weather stopped them in their tracks on Saturday when the fixture list, that had them at home to Oswaldtwistle Immanuel, was wiped out.

Rishton said: "We've started to bat a lot better now and showed the depth we have against Clitheroe.

"Last year we weren't chasing totals of 140, we were struggling to 120 or 130, but people are playing for their places now.

"Dave Usher had a bad season last year but he's set off well and the pro Jonathan Harvey has also started hitting the runs.

"But the bowlers have also done well to make sure we're not chasing big totals and that has helped as well.

"We've been frustrated by the weather as we were going well against Clitheroe and on Saturday we could have done with playing Oswaldtwistle because we fancied our chances."

All the Ribblesdale League games were called off because of the rain on Saturday, each team picking up two points.

This weekend's double header should make up for that, however, with a full set of fixtures on both Saturday and Sunday.