Bon Accord, Crescent and Knight Riders all have a chance to win the Grade 1 title in the last weekend of the season in one of the most closely fought campaigns in the 138-year-old history of the Grades.
The outcome will be decided, however, in the head to head clash of Crescent and Knight Riders at the Links on Saturday with the winner taking all.
Bon Accord would need the two other contenders to tie their match to win the title, while winning their away game to Mannofield, due to the complex distribution of bonus points against their fellow challengers.
In the event of there being no play at any of the games, Knight Riders would win the championship with their current three point advantage at the top.
Tauqeer Malik, the captain of Bon Accord who lifted the Aberdeenshire Cup last week at Mannofield after beating Crescent by 47 runs, acknowledged it would be highly unlikely his side would win the league.
‘A great season’
He said: “We shall concentrate on winning our game at Mannofield and hope for a good outcome at the Links but should things not go our way I would be pleased for either Nathan Thangaraj, the captain of Crescent, or the Knight Riders captain Pehlaj Tenneti to lift the league trophy.
“They are both fine, sporting people who do the game great credit. It has been a great season.”
Should Knight Riders prevail, it will be their first ever league title, while for a victory for Crescent you would have to go back to 1908.
In the corresponding fixture in June played at Groats Road, Crescent were comfortable 98-run winners after bowling out the home side for only 96. Thangaraj made his mark in that game, top scoring with 71, while returning three for 17.
On the other hand, Knight Riders are the form team in the division, having won their last five games and with captain Tenneti in fine form it promises to be a close encounter.
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