BARNT Green CC face two must win matches over the Bank Holiday weekend if the reigning champions are to keep their slender title hopes alive in the Birmingham and District League Premier Division.

The champions must defeat second placed Walsall this Saturday at Cherry Hill Road and leaders West Bromwich Dartmouth on Monday to have any chance of ending the season top of the table (both games 12.30pm start).

Green have five games left and trail West Brom by 51 points and captain Simon Froggatt has targeted a points tally from the weekend.

He said: "We need between 35 and 40 points to give us a decent chance of going for the title, which is at least a win and a draw.

"West Bromwich and Walsall have been top all season but after a slightly shaky start we've done really well to catch up."

Green have never got into high gear this season but have been surging up the table in recent weeks, before Saturday's game against Moseley was rained off.

They kept their Birmingham based rivals to 142-8 when torrential game forced it to become Green's sixth game of the season to be abandoned, the most of any team in the Premier Division.

Froggatt said: "We've been very, very, frustrated by the rain this season because we've had so many games killed off.

"We've lost six games because of rain and if we'd played two of those and won them then we would have been in the equation for the title.

"If we had 20 more points on the table then I think we'd have a chance of going for the league.

"What's worse is this weather has not allowed us to settle as a team."

If Barnt Green fail to get the necessary points over the weekend to keep their slim title hopes alive then the club will start planning for the 2007 season.

Froggatt said: "What has been encouraging is we've had a few of the younger players come through and if we aren't in the shake up to win the league then we'll give them a chance to play our last few games.

"We should keep all the players from this season and with the younger guys we'll definitely be looking stronger next year."

Stuart Shephard is set to return for both games but wicketkeeper Adam Smith will miss Monday's all important game against West Brom.

By Peter McKinney