Apart from not knowing where to take the championship trophy on Saturday, the management board of the JCT600 Bradford League must be rubbing their hands with glee.

Their decision to re-arrange the washed-out programmes of April 21 and 28 has worked a treat, and four clubs are in with a shout of lifting the First Division title.

Defending champions Woodlands led the table by 45 points at the start of last month but that margin is now down to four after three successive defeats.

Cleckheaton (266 points) are breathing down their necks, and a few paces further back are Lightcliffe (260) and East Bierley (259).

Bierley, who have the re-arranged Priestley Cup final against Manningham Mills on Sunday, are at home to Pudsey St Lawrence on Saturday, while Lightcliffe entertain already-relegated Undercliffe.

Woodlands, who won’t be flying Safraz Ahmed back from Pakistan, face a home game against a Bradford & Bingley side that are missing David Clow, Chris Thompson and James Davies, while Cleckheaton, chasing their first top-flight Bradford League crown, are at improving Pudsey Congs.

The momentum seems to be with Cleckheaton but their skipper John Wood still thinks that winning the title will be tough.

He said: “We are now in a position to challenge for our first title and it is a big ask.

“We need to get five more points than Woodlands and we have a very difficult game against Congs.

“They have had to fight hard this year but they have good players and some experienced heads in their side, which means we will need to be on top of our game to beat them.”

Some have pointed the finger at Woodlands’ batting as the reason for their sudden collapse but their secretary Brian Pearson says: “We haven’t been bowling well or fielding well either.

“Also teams take confidence from knowing that Saffy isn’t opening the bowling.”

The title would, however, be a fitting end to Tim Orrell’s 15-year stay at the Oaken-shaw club.

Pearson said: “Tim is retiring after Saturday and we built the club around him after he joined from Saltaire.

“He has been a fine cricketer and, what is more, a gentleman, and I don’t think we will ever have the success that we had under Tim’s stewardship.”

The other issues to be decided are who else will go down, with resurgent Farsley (160 points) at Manningham Mills, and Hanging Heaton (172) at home to Saltaire.

Second Division leaders Baildon (300) have finished their programme but they can be overtaken for the crown by Yeadon (285), who, intriguingly are at third-placed Morley (277), who are the other contenders.

* Bradford & Bingley and Oakworth meet in a repeat of the 2011 Gordon Bowers Under-Nines final on Sunday at Undercliffe (10am).