Sarisbury Athletic and Alton are locked in a titanic last-day Southern Premier League Division 1 title battle.
Going into the final fixtures next Saturday, only two points separate the top two - and only the champions are promoted into the top flight and replace Hook & Newnham Basics
Alton enjoy a slender lead after an eight-wicket win over second-bottom Liphook & Ripsley, while Sarisbury - aiming to return to the Premier Division for the first time since 2015 - made hard work of defeating rock bottom Sparsholt by just three wickets.
On paper, Sarisbury have the easier final-day fixture - they face relegated Liphook while Alton take on fifth-placed Basingstoke & North Hants at the Jubilee.
Should Alton and Sarisbury end up level on points, the title will be decided by who boasts the better runs per over rate throughout the season.
When two teams finish level on points, the first rule states whoever has the most wins will finish highest. But both Alton and Sarisbury will have 13 if they both triumph next weekend (or 12 if they lose).
The next adjudicator is the number of ties, but neither side has recorded one in 2022. The third rule, therefore, is the average runs per over.
Sarisbury must have been hoping for a quick win when reducing Sparsholt to 31-4 and then 57-5 (Chris Sanders 3-32).
But teenager Josh Williams (39), Callum Doran (33) and Greg Whiting (26) hoisted them up to 168 all out.
Sarisbury, minus skipper Josh Hill and Cameron Grierson, both suspended for one match following issues at last month's Rowledge match, advanced to 109-3 before losing three wickets for no runs - Nathan Feltham (22), Sam Floyd (18) and Shane Freemantle (0) all departing quickly.
Stand-in skipper Rob Franklin (32 not out) and Australian Ronan DeGrussa (17) put on 52 for the seventh wicket, allowing Sarisbury to breathe more easily. Franklin hit the winning runs off the penultimate ball of the 41st over as Sarisbury took the title race down to the last weekend.
Alton, asked to score 131 for victory by Liphook, weren’t far short of knocking off the runs without losing a wicket.
Openers Abhay Gonella (67 not out) and Dan Harris (51) put on 115 for the first wicket as they swept home by eight wickets in the 22nd over.
Going into the final fixtures next Saturday, only two points separate the top two - and only the champions are promoted into the top flight and replace Hook & Newnham Basics
Alton enjoy a slender lead after an eight-wicket win over second-bottom Liphook & Ripsley, while Sarisbury - aiming to return to the Premier Division for the first time since 2015 - made hard work of defeating rock bottom Sparsholt by just three wickets.
On paper, Sarisbury have the easier final-day fixture - they face relegated Liphook while Alton take on fifth-placed Basingstoke & North Hants at the Jubilee.
Should Alton and Sarisbury end up level on points, the title will be decided by who boasts the better runs per over rate throughout the season.
When two teams finish level on points, the first rule states whoever has the most wins will finish highest. But both Alton and Sarisbury will have 13 if they both triumph next weekend (or 12 if they lose).
The next adjudicator is the number of ties, but neither side has recorded one in 2022. The third rule, therefore, is the average runs per over.
Sarisbury must have been hoping for a quick win when reducing Sparsholt to 31-4 and then 57-5 (Chris Sanders 3-32).
But teenager Josh Williams (39), Callum Doran (33) and Greg Whiting (26) hoisted them up to 168 all out.
Sarisbury, minus skipper Josh Hill and Cameron Grierson, both suspended for one match following issues at last month's Rowledge match, advanced to 109-3 before losing three wickets for no runs - Nathan Feltham (22), Sam Floyd (18) and Shane Freemantle (0) all departing quickly.
Stand-in skipper Rob Franklin (32 not out) and Australian Ronan DeGrussa (17) put on 52 for the seventh wicket, allowing Sarisbury to breathe more easily. Franklin hit the winning runs off the penultimate ball of the 41st over as Sarisbury took the title race down to the last weekend.
Alton, asked to score 131 for victory by Liphook, weren’t far short of knocking off the runs without losing a wicket.
Openers Abhay Gonella (67 not out) and Dan Harris (51) put on 115 for the first wicket as they swept home by eight wickets in the 22nd over.