Minster are one win away from claiming the Kent Cricket League title but face the defending champions next.

A weekend washout meant the Premier Division standings remain unchanged with two games to play. Minster are 23 points clear of second-placed Blackheath, while St Lawrence & Highland Court and Hayes are a little further back.

Weekend hosts Lordswood haven’t been able to match last season’s championship-winning form but Minster captain Dave Masters knows his former team won’t be rolling out the red carpet for them.

“I am sure they won’t roll over for us,” said the captain.

“They will try their hardest to beat us and stop us from winning the league.

“It’s a local rivalry and we’ll be going there knowing we will be in for a hard game of cricket against one of the best teams in the league.

“We know they will play as hard as they possibly can but vice-versa, it’s the same for us. It’s always a big game against them, a local derby and it will be nice to win it in their backyard.”

Minster were due to host Tunbridge Wells last Saturday, but hopes of any play taking place ended with the match abandoned in the early afternoon. All Premier Division games went the same way.

Masters said: “Nothing has changed and now we just have to win one of the last two games to be guaranteed the title.

“Win on Saturday and we win the league and at the start of the season you would have ripped someone’s hand off to win the league with a game to go.

“We could still lose both and still win, but we want to make sure it’s still in our own hands.”

Minster will finish the season at home to St Lawrence & Highland Court the following week but they’ll hope to have had things wrapped up by then.

Masters has kept things light-hearted this season to help alleviate any pressure but it’s hard to avoid at this stage.

He said: “I think they just want to get it done and that’s the way it’s been for the last few weeks, that has been the problem, they just want it done.

“When you’re quite a way in front of the other people you just want it to be mathematically done.

“They have been a bit agitated. I have tried to take the pressure off as much as I can but it’s right in front of you, isn’t it? If we win this, we have won the league.

“There hasn’t really been any pressure this season, no pressure, it was taken off them.

“The fact we had a few younger blokes coming in and there was expectation it could take some time but I never believed that for once. I always thought we had a very good chance of winning the league. Getting them to believe was one thing and then getting it over the line is another thing.”

Minster’s overseas player Quinn Sunde has departed. His place in the side this Saturday could be filled by 2nd XI overseas player Yashraj Joshi, who hit 113 the other week for the promotion-chasing second string and starred in the senior side’s T20 cup win.

“He’s had a really good year,” said Masters, of the leg-spin bowler who can clearly bat too.

“He has lots of wickets and lots of runs for the second team and he played in the Twenty20 final.

“We left Quinn out of the final after playing in the semi. The wicket was deteriorating and turning quite a bit so we played Joshi and let him open the batting.

“He whacked 50-odd and probably won us the game with his batting and bowling, he has deserved his chance to come in and play.”

Shane Snater, meanwhile, is back with Essex after a one-game cameo against Canterbury.