Bradford and Bingley's promotion prospects in the Specialist Ducting Supplies Bradford League could well be decided over the next four weekends.
Tomorrow they are at Division Two leaders Saltaire (82 points), a week tomorrow they are at Bankfoot, with whom they share second place on 68 points, and on Saturday, August 9 the Wagon Laners are at home to fourth-placed Keighley (65 points) in a fabulous fixture list that could not have been drawn up any better if League bosses had tried.
"The next month or so is very important," says Bingley all-rounder Richard McCarthy, who made a successful comeback last weekend to help his club to the Priestley Cup final.
"If we are still second having played all those good teams it proves we can handle the pressure."
McCarthy added: "It is between four teams now for the two promotion places and Saltaire are a good team, and so are Bankfoot. You can't take them lightly, and Keighley have experienced players in Steve Reape and the Towler brothers, Ross and Alex. Also Mark Beckett is a good player for Keighley so the whole situation is too difficult to call."
Saltaire's league representative Reg Nelson went to watch Bingley's win at Idle in the Priestley Cup semi-final last Sunday and said: "All I learnt is that Bingley are a class team and looked like a genuine First Division club and for us to be 14 points ahead of them shows how well we have done.
"Tomorrow is going to be a tremendously interesting match, especially on their wicket.
"Our overseas fast bowler, Irfan Fazil, might like bowling at Wagon Lane, but we have some variety in our attack. Tahir Mahmood can bowl accurate medium-pacers and we have an off-spinner in our skipper Ijaz Khan.
"Bowling is our strength, but we have a soft underbelly in our batting, despite the fact that everybody can chip in.
"It is a team effort on the batting front, which will probably be good enough in Division Two, but is something we would need to look at if we get into Division One."
Nelson added: "We fear Bankfoot as well as Bingley - Bankfoot have proved themselves by knocking two Division One sides out of the Priestley Cup and tied with another.
"We were surprised how comfortably we beat them away, but as for Keighley I think they have only an outside chance."
Tomorrow Bankfoot are at Park Avenue to face unpredicatable Brighouse, while Keighley are at home to Great Horton.
By a quirk of the fixture list, the main match in the Division One programme is also a battle between first and second with Undercliffe at home to champions Pudsey Congs.
Congs' lead is 13 points - just one point less than Saltaire's - but they will be wary of the hosts' opening bowler Jaffer Nazir, especially after his all-ten feat at home to Yeadon last weekend.
Third place come the end of the season would be a fine achievement for Ian Wood's team of youngsters at Spen Victoria. Tomorrow they are at Farsley.
Bottom-of-the-table Gomersal are at Hanging Heaton, while second-from-bottom Yeadon are at fourth-placed Baildon. Idle, just outside the relegation places, are at Priestley Cup finalists Woodlands, who are fifth.
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