LEEK Cricket Club are set to seal their first Premier Division title in more than a decade.
The Highfield outfit take on struggling Little Stoke this Saturday requiring just four points to secure North Staffordshire and South Cheshire Cricket League's top prize.
Only a washout is likely to deny the Highfield outfit - and even then second-placed Longton would need a maximum points victory. But Leek skipper Greg Willott is refusing to uncork the Champagne just yet.
He said: "Fingers crossed the weather is decent and we can go and be positive. We'll prepare for the game like any other. Some people are talking about it (winning the title) but when we get in the dressing room we'll just concentrate on doing our job. If we do get the job done in the first half we'll still finish the game in the same professional manner."
Leek's victory over Moorlands rivals Cheadle on Saturday, allayed to Knypersley's surprise defeat at lowly Burslem allowed Willott's young side to increase the gap at the top to 22 points.
The Leek captain added: "It was a huge bonus when Knypersley slipped up - they had been on a really good run. When they slipped up it was a massive bonus. They are not there now and Longton are. We just have to do our job in a proper professional manner which will hopefully stand us in good stead to get those four points."
Leek's weekend win also confirmed relegation for Cheadle. But Simon Plant's side produced the perfect response by lifting the Talbot Cup one day later following a dramatic victory over Whitmore.
A 'golden over' was required to settle the contest for the first time in Talbot Cup history after both sides finished on 157 runs. And after Jimmy Sellers limited Whitmore to just five runs - taking two wickets along the way - Shaun Jenkinson sealed Cheadle's first Talbot Cup in 25 years in style with a boundary.
"I still can't believe what a game we were involved in," said Plant. "It's fantastic to be Talbot Cup champions after what has gone on this season. It's just a massive result - a great way to end the season. We snatched victory from the jaws of defeat."
The Cheadle captain was not even aware that a golden over could be the deciding factor until the latter end of Whitmore's innings. And Plant paid tribute to Sellers' incredible match-defining over.
He said: "Jimmy showed a lot of bottle to come to me and say 'I'm going to bowl that over'. He's still a young lad making his way in first team cricket. For the guy to show that amount of bottle - I take my hat off to him."
