CHRIS Watling believes Aston Rowant’s top-of-the-table clash at home to Slough will not decide this year’s Division 1 champions.

The sides meet in the Home Counties Premier League tomorrow, with 15 points separating them.

Rowant lost top-spot to the Berkshire side last weekend, but Watling recognises there is still a lot of cricket to be played.

The batsman, who returns in place of Alex Jewell, said: “It’s obviously a big game.

“I know Slough have quite a tough run-in – they still have to play High Wycombe and Henley.

“In some ways that plays into our favour a little bit.

"We will be going into this match looking to win.

“It would give us some great momentum going into the one-day games, but I don’t see it as a be-all and end-all.”

Banbury skipper Lloyd Sabin has praised all-rounder Olly Clarke ahead of his side’s home encounter against Horspath.

The youngster has starred for both club and county recently, taking 4-20 in their win over Tring Park six days ago.

Sabin is calling on Clarke, who has 33 wickets and a century to his name this season, to continue his rich vein of form.

He said: “It’s good.

“I spoke to him at the start of the year and told him I see him as a big player and I think, in periods, he has done that which is good.

“The challenge for him is doing it consistently, which I know he can do.”

Opener Craig Haupt is unavailable, so Steven Green and Tom Bartlett come in.

Skipper Will Eason is hoping overseas star Darryl Brown will help to inspire Horspath to safety.

The side are 35 points above the relegation zone with five games remaining.

Brown has scored a ton and six half centuries this season and Eason hopes he can continue to lead by example.

He said: “Darryl’s been superb for us.

"The way he has adapted his style to our conditions and given himself as much time as he can at the crease, he’s always putting the bowlers under pressure.

"Darryl’s been brilliant and hopefully we will be in a position where his overall contribution will keep us up, as well as others having to step up too.”

Horspath, without the unavailable Lloyd Belcher, name a squad of 12 with James Fitzjohn and Asad Rafiq coming in.

Jamie Perkin remains upbeat second-bottom Oxford can turn their season around ahead of his side’s home clash with High Wycombe.

Despite seeing their winless run extended to nine games last week, the skipper saw plenty of positives.

Perkin said: “It was probably our strongest performance of the year.

“We should have probably got more runs than we did, but we’re not far away.

“If we can produce a display like that we might come out with a positive result.”

Joe Porter replaces the unavailable Freddie Simon.

Michael Beard accepts Thame Town may have to win all of their remaining games to stay up.

The side sit bottom and are 61 points from safety.

Tring Park are up next and captain Beard said: “We’re in a tough spot, we’re under no illusions about that.

“We probably need to win at least four games, probably all five to have any chance of surviving.

“But I think performances are probably more important now.”

Thame make one change as Chris Jeffcock replaces Robert Jackson.

In Division 2, Shipton-under-Wychwood face a selection headache for the wrong reasons ahead of their trip to Harefield.

Due to unavailability, the west Oxfordshire side, who are 54 points adrift at the bottom, have been unable to name a full squad.

Captain Anupam Sanklecha said: “ There are players unavailable, we are still looking for one more.”

Great & Little Tew eye a third straight win when they face Dinton.

TOMORROW’S TEAMS

Aston Rowant (v Slough, home): Reid, Tolson, Condon, Smith, Moriarty, Morrick, Pendered, Bethell, Muttitt, Harris, Watling.

Banbury (v Horspath, home): from Tait, Sabin, Adams, West, Clarke, Hill, Rana, Beer, Wright, Curtis, Green, Bartlett.

Horspath (v Banbury, away): from Coleman, O’Connor, R Eason, Brown, Hawtin, Green, Cosford W Eason, Robertson, Manley, Fitzjohn, Rafiq.

Oxford (v High Wycombe, home): Tong-Jones, Dickinson, Perkin, Ayub, Nutt, Mendis, Crosby, Murphy, Musk, Humphreys, Porter.

Thame Tn (v Tring Park, home): Sutcliffe, Beard, Straughan, Kanishka, Mushtaq, C Russell, Adams, Higgs, Khan, A Russell, Jeffcock.

Shipton (v Harefield, away): Norgrove, C Miller, Wood, Sanklecha, Champion, Rehman, Cross, Bates, Nelson, Harris.