The visitors were always in trouble once Nasir Iqbal (3-23) and Paul Ridgway (3-37) ripped through the top order to leave them 39-4.
But a painstaking 52 from Chris Bleazard and a battling 21 from Jez Hope helped Lowerhouse recover to a more respectable 127-8.
But that never looked a testing total for the home side once Andy Clague (33) and Phil Bolton (63 no) had posted 50 for the first wicket.
Skipper Mark Lomas (24) and Bolton continued the onslaught with a stand of 74 before Lomas perished attempting to hit the winning runs but East Lancs still won with eight wickets and 13 overs to spare.
Former England star David Capel inspired Haslingden to victory over Enfield at Dill Hall Lane.
Standing in for Hamish Anthony, Capel top-scored with 38 as Haslingden struggled to 104 all out with Enfield's own deputy professional Peter Sleep claiming 7-56.
But Capel destroyed the home side's run chase on his way to 6-19 as Enfield slumped to 10-5.
And they were eventually skittled for 77 as Haslingden claimed maximum points.
Bacup crushed Burnley by 64 runs as Turf Moor stalwart Peter Brown was unable to bow out on a high note.
Playing in his last Lancashire League game, Brown made 19 in the middle order but received little support from elsewhere as Burnley were dismissed for just 83.
One of his two sons, Michael, top-scored with 24 as the home side made a decent start in pursuit of Bacup's 147-6 declared.
But with substitute professional Peter Strydom, playing in place of the injured Brad White who has returned home, picking up two wickets and David Ormerod taking 4-14, Burnley slumped from 50-1 to 53-7.
Terry Lord then helped clean out the tail with 3-8.
Earlier opener Peter Thompson underpinned the Bacup batting on a difficult pitch with an unbeaten 66, his 50 coming in 150 balls as he batted for two minutes short of three hours.
Accrington and Colne were involved in an exciting draw at The Horsfield where Colne finished just eight short of the visitors' 210-8 declared, in which professional Ryan Campbell hit a century.
Joe Scuderi, who earlier took 5-51, kept Colne in touch with 81 from 118 balls with six fours and shared a 100-run stand with David Swarbrick who posted an excellent 63-ball half-century.
Scuderi was run-out going for a second with the score on 174 and the acceleration on but Gary Hunt hit 41 off 39 balls to get Colne close. Campbell's 100 came up in just 105 balls and he hit 14 boundaries in all, sharing a 140-run fourth-wicket stand with Paul Barratt who saw Accrington to their total with a perfectly paced 71 not out from 136 balls with six fours.
Rishton had the upper hand in their game with Ramsbottom at Centre Vale but didn't have the bowling strength to winkle out the last few home batsmen.
Jimmy Bibby carried his bat for a grafting 65 as Rishton totalled a very respectable 183-6 declared after being sent in on a wicket which played a few tricks.
The third-wicket partnership between Bibby and skipper Russell Whalley (45) was worth 85 and proved the best part of their innings.
Ramsbottom professional Ian Harvey, playing his last game before returning home for State duty, had excellent figures.
But the loss of Harvey for 18 proved costly to Ramsbottom's hopes of victory. He was one of five cheap Corrie Jordaan victims as Rishton got on top but eventually had to settle for a draw with the Centre Vale side 130-7.
Todmorden skipper Richard Baigent's century was in vain as Rawtenstall batted out for a draw.
Baigent made an unbeaten 111 from 168 deliveries, hitting 12 fours and four sixes.
He shared a 97-run second-wicket partnership with substitute professional Jonathan Harvey (43) as Todmorden declared on 197-4 after 52 overs.
With Keith Arthurton going for just six, Rawtenstall were never in the hunt.
But despite Harvey's four wickets Todmorden were only able to claim bonus bowling points as Damiand Hanson's unbeaten 15 from 60 balls ensured the draw.
Nelson are Lancashire League Champions
In the penultimate over of the penultimate match Nelson were duly crowned champions of the Lancashire League yesterday, writes PAUL AGNEW.
And for a record 20th time to boot - marking a remarkable turnaround in fortunes.
Prayers offered in April finally heard in September - but this was Church on a Sunday after all!
In 1997 this team finished nearer the bottom than the top, losing more games than they won.
So, what's changed?
Roger Harper for one. But, hang on.
Those who subscribe to the one-man-team theory should note that the giant West Indian performed just as heroically during eight seasons with Bacup. But he never finished a champion despite close on 8,500 runs and more than 600 wickets.
However, Harper's contribution to the success of the men from Seedhill is beyond argument.
It would have been nice to have asked his captain for comments after another Harper inspired all-round effort had helped see of the stubborn challenge of Church.
Trouble was, that chappie, one Duncan Spencer, was away - on honeymoon.
And who was standing in - Roger Harper.
He wouldn't hear of the nonsense: ``Overshadowing the team? No no man, that ain't right. Professionals are expected to perform to a consistently high standard and that is what I set out to do.
``But everyone has played a part and, most importantly, they have come through at crunch times. ``Like today when we wobbled a bit there was still resilience within the batting order. When the questions have been asked of us we have come up with the answers.''
Nelson travelled across to Church with a 19-point lead - it would have taken a disaster to send them into a last week nail-biter and Blackburn Road is a happy hunting ground for them.
A season's best ``gate'' of £378 watched the home side make a calamitous start. At 70-6 and with professional Neil McGarrell back in the pavilion it looked as though an early finish was on the cards.
Enter Craig Fergusson. Just 16 but with the maturity of a batsman twice his age, Craig plundered 46 and shared a seventh-wicket stand of 47 with Andy Aspin.
Fergusson then contrived to run himself out - the third time he has made the 40s, but not reached the golden half-century this season.
Nonetheless at least 127 was a total Nelson needed to brood over. They too found early problems.
Harper, who had scored all but one of the 31 in boundaries (six fours and one six) was bowled by another Church teenager, Thomas O'Neill, with the score on 65.
Suddenly we had a game on. Paul Garaghty, the batsman no-one could get out in the early campaign, put together a sensible knock of 44 to underline the theory voice later by his captain/professional.
When he departed Nelson needed only five for the title although they did manage to lose a couple more wickets before Michael Bradley supplied the winning hit.
Harper and Co trooped off to the strains of We Are The Champions from their travelling supporters.
The humble West Indian looked almost overcome by it all, unaware of what he had achieved.
Luckily, the record books will show it forever.