James Smith believes Saturday's Pudsey derby at Tofts Road could be the most important one so far in his career.

The Pudsey St Lawrence skipper has experienced many a tussle against deadly rivals Pudsey Congs but the stakes could not be higher as both sides bid for the JCT600 Bradford League title.

Leading the Division One table by 14 points, Saints are in the driving seat but Congs – though 36 points behind in fifth place – remain contenders with a game in hand.

Victory for Saints would not only end a winless streak against their neighbours stretching back to August 2007, it would also provide a massive boost towards gaining their first title since 1991.

The significance is not lost on Smith. Asked if this is the biggest derby he’s due to play in, he said: “From a personal point of view, it probably is.

“In the past, we’ve started well and been up there but then tailed off.

“Now we are top of the table, with Congs, whom we’ve not beaten for a few years, coming to our place trying to knock us of our perch.

“They’ve definitely had the edge over us in recent seasons but we should play with no fear and understand that we have a team good enough to beat them.”

Smith believes Pudsey derbies reflect the Bradford League at its most competitive.

“They are always intense,” he said. “There always seems to be an incident in each game, whether that’s exaggerated because it’s the Pudsey derby.

“They make for hard-fought, intense cricket, which is good for the Bradford League.”

Victory for the hosts would make it tough for Congs to remain in the title race but Smith refused to see it as win or bust for the visitors.

He said: “Doing that would be dangerous. They didn’t win five titles on the bounce for no reason.

“If we did beat them, you can be sure they’d make it their priority to win their last five matches, so to write them off would be unwise.”

Top of the table with five matches left is new territory for St Lawrence, but Smith believes his side can hold their nerve.

He said: “It’s in our own hands. It’s about enjoying it, not about pressure. We’ve not been here before.

“The players realise that and I don’t need to tell them how to suck eggs.

“We have players with plenty of experience of the Bradford League.

“Apart from a massive blip against East Bierley, I can’t fault anyone.”

Second-placed Woodlands host Farsley, while all eyes will be on Richard McCarthy as third-placed Bradford & Bingley visit Saltaire.

The veteran fast bowler needs just four scalps to reach 1,000 Bradford League wickets.