LOWERHOUSE are the early leaders of the Marsden Lancashire League after their rain-affected win against Church.

The home team set Lowerhouse 106 to win, with Hope and Flegler finishing with good figures, but after the weather intervened, Lowerhouse's struggling batsmen were given a new target of 74, which they made with five wickets standing.

Colne lost at the Horsfield to another of the season's good starters, Todmorden, while Nelson could take nothing from their game at East Lancs.

In the Vaux Ribblesdale League, Barnoldswick's Peterson (65) and Grant (5-91) put in match-winning performances against Padiham, but Earby fell nine short of Blackburn N's total of 192-4. Read took seven points from their 46-run win at Clitheroe.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.