CLITHEROE skipper Neil Bolton is expecting the unexpected as the Ribblesdale Senior League reaches its dramtic climax.

Four teams - Barnoldswick, Settle, Clitheroe and Great Harwood - all have matematical chances of taking the title this Saturday in the closest Championship in years.

On another rollcoaster weekend, Clitheroe lost to a dogged Read side where as Settle and Barnoldswick both picked up wins on Saturday.

But on Sunday, Settle lost their chance to all but win the title on the penultimate weekend as they lost in the last over to Padiham where as Clitheroe picked up maximum points against Blackburn Northern and Barnoldswick took five from Whalley.

Bolton said: "I felt suicidal after Saturday's game. I didn't sleep a wink that night but I felt a lot better on Sunday after we'd heard the Settle result.

"After all the hard work we'd done getting to where we are in the league, I really thought we'd thrown it away. We really didn't expect Padiham to beat Settle but that's just the kind of season it's been.

"It's as if it's the title that nobody wants to win. I've never known a season like it before."

On the final day of the season, Barnoldswick, with pro Jeeva Kulatunga leading the charge, host Settle's conquerors Padiham at Victory Park on Saturday with the Dale's side making the trip to Read in a repeat of last season's dramatic final day showdown, which saw Settle lose the title to their hosts.

Bolton's team face bottom side Oswaldtwistle Immanuel at New Lane and he's just aiming to control the controllables and hope the cricketing gods are smiling down on his team.

And in pro Shahid Nawaz and leading amateur Naeem Ashraf they have cricketers who know what it's like to win the title.

He added: "Barnoldswick are probably favourites but they have a tough game against Padiham.

"Settle probably have the most difficult game of the title-chasing teams but Oswaldtwistle won't want to do us any favours.

"We have to fancy our chances of getting the full seven points and we'll be confident of doing so. Then we'll just have to hope the other teams don't pick up maximum points from their games.

"It'll be the first time since 1994 we've won the league but it's been a strange season so far and you just don't know what's going to happen.

"We need to make sure we concentrate on what we're doing because we'll be getting information from the other grounds so it's going to be a very tense afternoon.

"All I hope is that the weather doesn't intervene - unless there's localised downpours over Read and Barnoldswick and the sun shines in Oswaldtwistle!"

Fixtures: Barnoldswick v Padiham, Baxenden v Cherry Tree, Edenfield v Whalley, Great Harwood v Earby, Oswaldtwistle Immanuel v Clitheroe, Read v Settle, Ribblesdale Wanderers v Blackburn Northern.