Harrogate are 99.9% likely to seal the Division One title after a disastrous defeat for nearest challengers Chapel Allerton 1 in Monday’s penultimate round on Monday night.

The second-placed north Leeds outfit were stunned 9-5 by stablemates and relegation scrappers Chapel Allerton 3 thanks to a superb win for Thomas Whiteway over Ross Williamson at No.2 and Cameron Ward’s 3-1 victory over Phil Young at top string.

That completes Chapel A 1’s season with a final tally of 139 points. Harrogate, who didn’t play this week and have one match left, have 140 points, so are guaranteed to finish above them. The only team who can catch the table-toppers now is Harlow 1 who need a maximum 12 points against Collingham 1 AND Harrogate to lose 12-0 to Chapel Allerton 2 on Monday, in order to pip them on points difference. It ain’t going to happen, so as soon as Harrogate win a single game on Monday, the pommaine corks can start popping in the bar.

Chapel A 3’s astonishing win over the firsts gives them real hope of avoiding a finish in the dreaded bottom two and sets up a mouth-watering relegation decider against Adel – the team just one place above them - on Monday.

The tension at the summit of Division Two became even more unbearable this week. The top two – Collingham 2 and Dunnington – played each other and the leaders came out on top. The match hinged on an epic battle at No.2, with string-vest enthusiast Dan Adams pulling off a fantastic win over Joe Cybaniak, 9/6 in the fifth.

Agonisingly, third-placed Chapel Allerton could not capitalise. Shorn of this season’s hero Tim Manuel, who was poncing around down in London, they crashed to Chapel Allerton 6, continuing the night’s theme of defeats to ‘inferior’ stablemates. The big moment in this one was Mike Robinson’s first ever defeat to Matt Johnson, but even then No.1 Dave Stannard had two match balls against James Steingold before losing a sensational, lung-busting battle 10-9 in the fifth. That rendered Mike Dale’s best performance of the season (although that really, really isn’t saying much) in vain.

Those results confirm Collingham 2’s fully deserved promotion to the top flight and leave Dunnington and Chapel A 5 locked on 156 points. They both face bottom-half opponents in the final game of the season and the simple equation is that if Dunnington take all 12 points they will fulfil their ambition of immediate promotion to the top tier.

Harrogate 2, who thrashed relegated Skipton this week, require two unlikely defeats for the two aforementioned teams and a win away at Chapel Allerton 4 themselves in order to sneak second spot.

Into Division Three then, and things were all wrapped up last week with Ilkley 1 and Adel 3’s promotions confirmed. Adel clearly took their foot off the gas as they lost away at Collingham 4 on Monday, allowing Ilkley 1 to take a three-point advantage into the final week as they jostle for the title.

At the bottom, Ilkley 2’s demise is confirmed after their 12-2 thumping at Chapel Allerton 8, while second-bottom Harlow 2 require an unlikely 10-point swing in their favour to drag Harrogate 3 the wrong side of the dotted line and save themselves in the nick of time.

It was the final week in Division Four and the trophy goes most emphatically to Collingham 5 by a masterful margin of 20 points. Their sojourn to the trophy was finished off with a frankly indecent 12-0 humping of bottom-of-the-pile David Lloyd, who finished the season with just two wins.

Second-placed Adel 5 will be joining the villagers in Division Three next season after they too finished off with a 12-0 shelacking – Otley 4 their unfortunate victims.

On to Monday night then and what will be a monumental climax to what’s been a teeth-clenchingly tense and entertaining season. Best of luck to all.