It's end-of-season crunch time for several of the area's sides with plenty of promotion and relegation issues still to be settled.

One of the closest to call is Division Two South of the Premier Holidays East League where leaders Braintree need victory at Brentwood to guarantee promotion.

Five sides could still go up so skipper Martin Tarrant is urging no slip-ups.

"If we don't win we'll have to rely on other people. It's my last game at this competitive level. At the ripe of old age of 40 I have got other commitments with my children etc.

"From my point of view I'm really buzzing on the thought of being able to help secure them promotion."

Keeper Tarrant believes Braintree are now ready to compete in Division One having come straight back down the last time they were promoted.

"There's been a significant difference in the way we play over the last couple of years. We've got a superb coach in Ian Roberts and we believe it's pay-back time now."

It's equally tight in Division Six South East where Harwich are still in thick of the promotion race.

They host Brentwood III tomorrow knowing a win, followed by a further victory next week, will guarantee them promotion. Both Colchester III and University of Essex are also in the race for the runners-up spot.

In Division Four South, relegated Wivenhoe meet champions Witham. Both will hope to get a good deal from the league's restructuring in the summer.

Lawford-based Stour Valley Ladies go to Mildenhall in the Suffolk Hales Waste League still with an outside chance of promotion to the Premier Division.

But they are relying on both Southwold and Castaways to fall by the wayside in their remaining fixtures.

Saturday's fixtures involving north Essex sides

MEN

ENGLISH LEAGUE - Division 1

Lewes v Chelmsford (Sunday).

PREMIER HOLIDAYS EAST LEAGUE

Premier A Division

Clacton v Ipswich, West Herts v Colchester.

Division 1

Chelmsford II v Old de Ferrians.

Division 2S

Brentwood v Braintree, Colchester II v Stevenage.

Division 4S

Wivenhoe v Witham.

Division 5SE

Braintree II v Clacton II, Maldon v Sudbury II, Rochford Casuals v Chelmsford III.

Division 6SE

Chelmsford IV v Upminster II, Essex Police v East London II, Harwich v Brentwood III, University of Essex v Havering III, Anglia University v Colchester III.

Division 7EC

Harlow II v Wivenhoe II, Witham II v Marconi.

Division 8SE

Billericay v Chelmsford V, Braintree III v Dunmow III, Colchester IV v Maldon II.

Division 9SE

Brentwood V v Braintree IV, Chelmsford VI v Witham III, Ipswich & ES V v Essex Police II, Little Baddow III v University of Essex II.

WOMEN

ENGLISH LEAGUE - Division 1

Chelmsford v Trojans.

ESSEX LEAGUE - Premier division

Braintree v Colchester, Basildon v Chelmsford III, Brentwood v Chelmsford II, Old de Ferrians v Clacton.

Division 1

Maldon v Billericay.

Division 2

Essex County Council v Braintree III, Brentwood II v Colchester II.

Division 3

Witham v Southend & Benfleet, County Wanderers v Maldon II, Old Loughtonians IV v Essex University, Billericay II v Clacton II.

Division 4

Witham II v East London II.

Division 5

Thurrock II v Braintree IV, Essex Police v Southend II, Colchester III v Tollesbury, Oakway II v Chelmsford V.

SUFFOLK HALES WASTE LEAGUE

Division 1

Mildenhall v Stour Valley.

Division 2

Castaways II v Harwich.

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.