EDDIE SHAH's super six-wicket haul and two fine knocks from Bruce Cruse and Steve Dearden at Heywood set up a nail-biting end-of season double for Radcliffe Cricket Club.
The Racecourse side go into this weekend's games at Oldham on Saturday and at home to neighbours Stand on Sunday with everything to play for as they lie joint top of the Central Lancashire League on 87 points with Littleborough.
The Hare Hill side face reigning champions Rochdale -- who were right in the title race until recently -- at home on Saturday before travelling to Ashton on Sunday.
Radcliffe haven't won the CLL championship since 1994 and if Graeme Simpson's men can do it this weekend it will be a fantastic achievement after battling their way back into the reckoning with a tremendous run of results over the last few weeks.
It will also make up for the disappointment of defeat in last season's Wood Cup final against Middleton. It's even longer since Radcliffe lifted that trophy. You have to go way back to 1968 when they beat Walsden by 98 runs.
At the Crimble on Saturday, Heywood had no answer to Shah's pace. He removed the home side's top scorer, Cross, who hit 58, and went on to decimate the rest of the Heywood batting, with only one other home batsman, Rick Purser, managing double figures with 15.
Toby McLean and Nick Kennedy helped Shah out as Heywood were dismissed for 111, Fast Eddie finishing with fine figures of 6 for 30.
Openers Cruse and Steve Dearden had no trouble knocking off the required runs, hitting 49 and 51 respectively to steer Radcliffe to victory with plenty of overs, not to mention wickets, to spare.
Now it's all down to this weekend's gripping encounters, with fingers crossed that Graeme Simpson emerges holding the CLL First Division championship trophy aloft.
HEYWOOD v RADCLIFFE
Heywood
C Sugden b McLean...4
R Cross b Shah...58
M Arnold b Shah...6
R Purser b Shah...15
G Wilkinson b Shah...4
L Grogan c Hayes b Shah...4
W Purser st Macauley b Kennedy...0
S Wallwork not out...2
R Slawson c Cruse b Kennedy...1
R Smethurst run out...2
D Fare lbw Shah...0
Extras...14
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Total...111
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49.3 overs
J McLean 6-2-15-1; S Shah 24.3-6-30-6; N Kennedy 14-1-43-2; S Dearden 5-0-15-0.
Radcliffe
B Cruse not out...49
S Dearden not out...51
Extras...12
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Total (for 0)...112
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26.4 overs
R Purser 5-1-17-0; W Purser 9.4-1-34-0; R Slawson 6-1-26-0; D Fare 3-1-13-0; G Wilkinson 3-0-22-0.
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