NEW ZEALAND star Ian Butler stormed into the Lancashire League yesterday – but it was his opposite number Brendan Nash who had the last laugh as he bowled East Lancs to a win at Lowerhouse.

Kiwi quickie Butler claimed four wickets on his debut, including the prized scalp of West Indian Nash for a duck, but it wasn’t enough to help high flying Lowerhouse to a win.

That was largely down to an impressive bowling and fielding display from the Blackburn side with Nash on fine form with the ball.

East Lancs started slowly after winning the toss and choosing to bat as Butler bowled with pace and bounce.

The Kiwi star is quick and David Pearson and John Turner were very much on the back foot in the opening stages before Pearson was bowled by the pro’s slower ball.

That brought Brendan Nash to the crease. The West Indian Test star, who flies home today to take play for the Windies in the Test series against Bangladesh and misses the next three weeks, has been bang in form with the bat.

But the extra bounce generated by Butler, fresh from New Zealand’s entertaining World Twenty20 campaign, caused him some discomfort.

He had played and missed three times before being given out caught behind off the Kiwi – but his body language suggested he had missed again.

The one thing that was certain though was that East Lancs were in trouble at 21-2.

Turner and Phil Bolton set about repairing that early damage and put on 60 for the third wicket.

For more than an hour and a half, he pushed good singles and also hit nine fours and deserved a half-century.

But just four runs short of that landmark, he holed out off Matt Walker trying to go for his 50 in style.

Lomas made a handy 29 and Abdul Biswoodal’s 13 included one brutal four and a big six and with Paul Kelly and Sid Patel scampering for every run, East Lancs posted a handy 197-7 with Butler the bowling star, claiming 4-44 from 16 overs on debut.

Lowerhouse suffered a disaster when top amateur Jon Finch was brilliantly caught in the slips by Tuner second ball off Sam Sweeney.

And the young paceman then had Butler caught by Pearson to leave the home side struggling.

They did buck up with skipper Cottam making 39 before falling to the second of two sensational slip catches from Lomas.

But it was slow going as Nash bowled superbly to claim 4-23, while Kelly (3-24) also did his bit to claim the win as Lowerhouse fell well short.

East Lancashire innings
DJ Pearson b Butler 8
JPA Turner c Howells b Walker 46
Nash c Cottam b Butler 0
PI Bolton b Butler 48
MC Lomas b Butler 29
A Biswoodall b Finch 13
MJ Bolton b Finch 7
PB Kelly not out 14
S Patel not out 7
Extras 25
Total (7 wickets) 197

Butler 16 2 44 4, Collins 8 2 26 0, Finch 17 2 73 2, Walker 6 0 24 1, Martin 3 0 19 0

Lowerhouse innings
J Finch c JPA Turner b Sweeney 0
Butler c Pearson b Sweeney 4
BR Heap b Nash 20
PTBM Martin lbw b Patel 9
CR Cottam c Lomas b Nash 39
J Beneduce c PI Bolton b Nash 4
SC Hope b Kelly 23
M Collins b Nash 8
M Doughty c Lomas b Kelly 10
M Howells not out 1
M Walker c Pearson b Kelly 0
Extras 16
Total (10 wickets) 134

Sweeney 7 0 27 2, Patel 8 1 29 1, Nash 16 6 23 4, DCT Turner 2 0 22 0, Kelly 12.3 4 24 3

East Lancashire won by 63 runs. Lowerhouse 0, East Lancs 12