BURNLEY are edging closer to their first Lancashire League title since 2006 after Chris Holt and David Brown steered them to a 159-run win over Colne on Saturday before rain saw all of yesterday’s games washed out.

Excellent knocks from professional Holt and Brown helped Burnley make an imposing 269-8, with Holt hitting 62 from 58 balls, including four sixes, to pass 500 runs for the season, and Brown making 60 from 70 balls, with two sixes.

MORE TOP STORIES:

Vishal Tripathi also made 48 and John Lambert took 4-65 for Colne.

Holt was also in fine form with the ball as well, taking 5-50 as Colne were dismissed for just 110, with Tom Lawson posting career best figures of 3-13.

Sub-professional Joe Hawke top scored for the visitors as he made 20.

Daryn Smit missed out on the chance to break Brad Hodge’s 2001 runs record of 1,246 for Ramsbottom.

Smit, who is flying back to South Africa today to prepare for their domestic season, needed 52 runs this weekend but was dismissed for a duck as the Rams saw their title challenge all but ended at the hands of East Lancs.

Sharukh Khan took a career best 7-27 to dismiss the challengers for just 62 at Alexandra Meadows.

JP de Villiers also took 3-31 with only Dale Gabriel’s getting into double figures with 11, with East Lancs conceding 28 extras.

Ramsbottom had earlier restricted East Lancs to 123-7, with Mo Bhada top scoring with 27.

Jon Fielding took 3-35 and Smit 2-46, but East Lancs were thankful to eighth wicket pair Khan and Danny Chester who were able to strike 37 from the final three overs of the innings.

An all-amateur Nelson side were dismissed for 102 by Lowerhouse with Cobus Pienaar taking 3-22 and Matt Walker 3-34. Khurran Nazir top scored with 32 but the home side collapsed from 65-3 to 71-8.

Jonny Whitehead hit four fours and a six in making 45 for Lowerhouse as they won by five wickets.

Enfield took bragging rights as they won the local derby against Church at Dill Hall Lane by 32 runs.

Professional Graeme van Buuren passed 500 runs for the season during his unbeaten 57 in Enfield’s 170-6, with Kamran Basharat taking 3-35 for Church.

Van Buuren then took 4-40 as Church were bowled out for 138, with professional Usman Tariq top scoring with 78 from 105 balls.

When Sam Cook (2-8) got him caught and bowled the visitors collapsed from 126-4 to 138 all out.

Todmorden won by eight wickets at Bacup after left-armer Martin Harlow took a league best 7-40 as Bacup were skittled for 69.

Wicketkeeper Ben Pearson took five catches and then struck an unbeaten 26 as Todmorden cruised home.

Accrington professional Ockert Erasmus was the star of the show at Thorneyholme Road as Rawtenstall were beaten by 120 runs.

Erasmus made an unbeaten 100, hitting three sixes in his 104 balls, in Accrington’s 220-6 and then finished with remarkable figures of 5-4 in six overs as the visitors for bowled out for 11.

The South African added 82 for the fourth wicket with Keiren Grimshaw who hit 40, with Jacob Clarke making 25, while Keith Roscoe took 2-73.

Rawtenstall looked to be going well at 58-2 but wickets soon began to fall and after Erasmus had turned on the style two run-outs sealed Rawtenstall’s fate.

The match between Haslingden and Rishton on Saturday was called off.

And the weather intervened dramatically on Sunday as mid-afternoon storms saw all the matches washed out, with the sides sharing three points each.

It was a particularly cruel blow for Smit, who was unbeaten on 53, and on his way to the Ramsbottom runs record before the rain arrived and the no result ruined his chances.