BURNLEY clinched the Standard Life North West Seniors Golf League Championship with two excellent away draws within the space of seven days.

It was always going to be tight for the title between Burnley and Nelson but Burnley's away draw at Mytton Fold and then their unexpected tie with Nelson gave them an unassailable lead.

Meanwhile Wilpshire had a good 4-1 1/2 victory over Longridge, but the ex-champions recovered well to inflict a decisive 4-1 defeat on De Vere, who have had an unexpectedly poor season this year.

With just a handful of games left there's going to be a real battle for the runners-up spot with any one of four teams (Ingol, Longridge, Nelson and Wilpshire) still in with a chance.

Standard Life, who have confirmed sponsorship for next season, will present each player from the Championship-winning team a voucher for £25 to go with their individual trophies.