Ealing are almost there. What looked like being a nailbiting final two weeks of the season now looks like a stroll to the line for the champions.

An easy-as-you-like win at home to Eastcote was more or less what they expected on Saturday. What they had not anticipated was that title challengers Teddington would fold at home to Winchmore Hill to ease the pressure.

Teddington were bowled out for 128 and although they fought back superbly with the ball, they could not snaffle the final wicket they needed to claim all 10 points and ended empty-handed for only the third time this season.

With the gap at the top increasing from eight to 18 points, Ealing need a maximum of three points from their remaining two games.

They will be expecting to wrap up an unprecedented fourth Middlesex County League title in a row this weekend when they entertain Southgate at Corfton Road - a team with only two wins all season.

Tahir Afridi (6-23) and Jackson Bird (4-36) led the sixwicket rout of Eastcote.

They had the visitors all out in the 35th over and a modest winning total of 87 was reached in the 27th over.

Chris Peploe's undefeated 32 ensured there were no undue worries for the champions, who broke the 100-point barrier with their win.

If it was a great day for Ealing, Shepherds Bush were not far behind in the happiness stakes on Saturday.

They established a six-point lead over third-placed Richmond in the battle for the second promotion slot in Division Two thanks to a 70-run win over Harrow and Richmond's draw at lowly Wembley.

And with leaders North Middlesex picking up only a single point at bottom-of-thetable Barnes, top spot for the Bush is no longer out of the question either.

The Bush will go up this weekend if they beat Barnes, and Richmond fail to beat North Middlesex in the weekend's big top-of-the-table clash.

Robbie Watts (77) and Michael Padbury (61) were the top scorers as the Bush rattled up a healthy 252-5 declared against Harrow.

Then it was the turn of Amit Suman (4-60) and Derek Mian (4-36) to apply the squeeze.

Acton are finishing the season with a bit of a flourish but have surely left it too late to claim second place.

They are up to fourth after a 10-wicket win against North London. Keith Hunt's 5-20 set up the victory as the visitors subsided to a total of 88 all out.

Brentham skipper Majid Ali appears determined not to let the summer end without a show of defiance.

His team are already down but he was in terrific form at Southgate - the side most likely to join Brentham in Division Two next season.

Not content with taking 5-65, he then came within two runs of a deserved century, finishing undefeated on 98.

But it was still not enough to bring a second win of the season and was only good enough for a losing draw because of an inferior run-rate. Hasan Khan also claimed a half century for Brentham who probably can't wait for the season to end.

* Ealing's second XI are celebrating the club's first silverware of the season after landing the second teams championship.

A two-wicket win at Hampstead clinched a 10th win of the season and with it the title, even though second-paced Brondesbury managed to win by the same margin at Richmond.

At the other end of the table, Brentham and Acton are still odds-on to go down, although Brentham live to fight another day after claiming only their second win.

Jon Mays hit an undefeated 74 in a 10-wicket stroll at home to Teddington which was in stark contrast to how most of the season has gone for them.

But they still need to win their last two while hoping Southgate lose theirs in order to beat the drop.

Acton are six points better off than Brentham but they are 13 points from safety and not looking good after a six-wicket defeat at Eastcote.

The table reads: Ealing 115 points, Brondesbury 87, Eastcote 77, Stanmore 70, Hampstead 64, Teddington 61, Richmond 52, Southgate 51, Acton 38, Brentham 32.

There are signs of life from Shepherds Bush seconds, who are just a point behind Harrow Town at the foot of the Division Two table. Those two look to be the teams battling it out to avoid the second relegation slot along with Wembley.

The Bush might have picked up more than four points against Ickenham, who held on for a draw at 203-7 after 56 overs.

The Bush may feel they overplayed their hand by batting on to a massive 304-6 declared.

But in fairness they used up only 48 overs to get their runs. Travis Van Dyke (89), Carl Menzie (70) and Tom Stone (64) were among the runs.

The table reads: Barnet Bs 91 points, Finchley 85, Winchmore Hill 85, Kenton 75, Barnes 73, Uxbridge 60, Ickenham 58, Harrow Town 50, Shepherds Bush 49, Wembley 21.

In Division Three, Old Actonians lost by 66 runs at Hornsey, even though Sandi Patel took 6-47 to bowl out the visitors for 168. They are bottom on 15 points, 16 adrift of Wycombe House.