Radlett look set to own the top seed when the play-offs begin after picking up another win on Saturday.

Jono McLean’s side beat fourth-placed Bishop’s Stortford – the team they will face in the first round of the play-offs if the positions remain the same – by three wickets to maintain their 12-point lead at the top.

They do, however, still have to play third-placed Welwyn Garden City, who lost their second successive game in week 16, on the last day of the regular season.

Radlett will need a better bowling display, though, if they are going to become the first ever Saracens Herts Premier Division champions.

Against Stortford, Radlett only managed to take seven wickets, three of them run-outs, as the hosts put 236 runs on the board, including 20 extras.

Hertfordshire batsmen Eddie Ballard and Dominic Chatfield did most of the damage, scoring 77 and 61 respectively and putting on 100 runs for the third wicket. Shane Burger (2-33) broke the partnership by having Ballard caught by Matt Creese to leave Stortford at 161-3.

Chatfield added another 52 run with Chris Green (38) as Stortford passed the 200 mark. Radlett took late wickets as the hosts tried to accelerate the run rate but still faced a stern challenge in topping 236 runs.

The pressure was eased by Radlett’s openers Fraser Crawford and Kabir Toor as they put on 79 runs for the first wicket. Crawford was the man to go, caught for 28, replaced by McLean (17) who added another 48 runs with Toor.

When Toor’s innings was finally ended after a poised 108-ball 87, which included 10 boundaries, Radlett were 151-3.

Joe Cooke (3) only managed to fend off two balls before he was trapped LBW by the third but in Shane Burger Radlett found a batsmen to steer them to victory.

In a 53-run knock, Burger anchored the middle order, which featured good contributions from Creese (15) and Tom Jenkins (21), as Radlett closed in on victory.

It was a close-run result, though, as Hugh McDowell (2*) and Randeep Sanghera (1*) scored the winning runs in the 50th over to keep Radlett on top of the standings.