NORTH Middlesex could secure safety this weekend with a win over relegation rivals Stanmore.

Jacob Miltz’s side have a good record against the teams around them at the bottom of the Premier Division table in the Middlesex County Cricket League, having recently taken maximum points off both Twickenham and Ealing.

North Midd have also been buoyed by the news that one of the two relegation places has now been filled by Twickenham following their five-wicket defeat against Shepherd’s Bush on Saturday. With three games to go, Ealing currently occupy the other ahead of their mammoth away match against league leaders Crouch End this weekend.

Last season’s champions boosted their survival hopes on Saturday when they eked out a nail-biting two-wicket home win over Teddington, securing victory with the final ball of the afternoon.

The visitors got off to the perfect start with openers Edward Pollock and Jack Attenborough both displaying positive shot-selection.

Pollock hit a rapid 65 off just 36 balls in a knock that included six fours and five sixes. But it was Attenborough who stole the show with a well-crafted century, scoring 104 off 129 deliveries before being run-out.

At 133-3, Teddington looked on course to post an uncatchable total – with a score of more than 300 a realistic target. They didn’t quite manage that marker, although they did almost double their tally before losing their remaining wickets, ending play on 265.

It took everything that North Midd had in their bowling armoury to stop Teddington. Taine Bayly collected three wickets at the expense of 42 runs, while Tom Lawson (2-38) and Rory Walter (2-60) picked up two wickets each.

That perseverance continued with the bat. A real team effort saw Will Frais top-score for the hosts with 46, while Walter and Ben Lockrose hit 42 and 41 respectively. With every single run proving crucial, Mohammed Rizvi, who scored 37, and Max Harris, who hit 30, also both batted well.

In the end, North Midd just managed to reach 268-8 from their allotted 50 overs to seal the victory, and with it 10 priceless points.

Elsewhere, Hampstead are ending their Division One campaign on a high after sealing a four-wicket win at Eastcote on Saturday.

With Muhammad Ahmed (3-32) and Sam Fraser (2-31) picking up wickets at regular intervals, it looked like Hampstead were heading for an early finish at Haydon Hall as Eastcote stuttered to 54-6.

The home side managed to prolong play thanks to a last-ditch unbeaten eighth-wicket partnership between Kesavan Gunaseelan and Shaival Mehta, who hit 62 and 33 runs respectively. Their efforts helped Eastcote set a more testing 179-7 from their reduced 45-over innings.

Undeterred, Hampstead still made light work of that target. Openers Lauchie Johns and Jordan Edy steered the visitors to 66 before the loss of their first wicket, which saw Edy depart for 32 after being bowled by Mehta.

Johns went on to score 63, supported well by Alex Duguid, who ended the afternoon on 44. A slight wobble saw Hampstead slip from 131-2 to 160-6. But Mubasher Hassan’s 22 got them over the line, as they reached their winning total of 180-6 in 23 overs.