WITH Aire-Wharfe League Division One’s four title chasers all looking set for victories, tomorrow’s drama is likely to come in the tight bunch heading the Third Division promotion race.

Nowhere will the tension be higher than at Leeds Modernians, who trail joint leaders Hall Park and tomorrow’s opponents Tong Park Esholt by a mere three points.

It is turning into an extraordinary season for Esholt who, after suffering relegation last year, saw their ground made unplayable by the floods.

Amid fund-raising efforts, they switched grounds and now are on the brink of promotion and have reached the Waddilove Cup final.

But tomorrow is a massive test. Modernians have two of the division’s top three batsmen in Nick Hyden and Dwayne Heke, who between them have scored more than 1,000 league runs.

Esholt also have their big hitters in Ajantha Weerappuli and Fawad Maqsood and, possibly more importantly, have the league’s leading wicket-taker in Mahir Ali, whose 50 victims include four Modernians when Esholt won their last encounter by 74 runs.

Trailing the leaders by 33 points, fourth-placed Green Lane are the outsiders to win back their spot in the second tier at the first attempt.

But having knocked leaders Hall Park off their perch last weekend, they will expect a big haul of points against Silsden, who have dropped into the bottom two.

Despite that shock defeat, Park too will expect to pick up maximum points at Menston, though they will be hoping it is not as close as last time they met when they clinched victory by just three runs.

Olicanian entertain New Rover, hoping to do the double, while Bolton Villas can ease any concerns of dropping into the re-election spots against rock-bottom Upper Wharfedale.

Having been saved from relegation from Division One last season by Follifoot’s points deduction, Steeton need to quickly show some form if they are to escape this time round, but it’s hard to see them making an impression against leaders Otley.

Third-placed Horsforth will expect to complete the double over Bilton and hope that Rawdon can at least slow the charge of Beckwithshaw, who are only three points ahead of them.

A further nine points back are Burley, but they look to have the most comfortable afternoon of all the leading bunch against a Kirkstall side who look odds-on to go down.

Pool, who have hit a rich vein of form in recent weeks, travel to Collingham.

When the sides met earlier, even David Paynter’s century couldn’t see Pool over the line as they missed out by three runs. Ilkley are at North Leeds, who earlier beat them by eight runs.