FOR most clubs, next Sunday will see the final matches in a long hard season for the Memorial Sunday Football League.

Only in Division Two are there clubs with more than one match to play, but most issues will be settled next week.

Champions of Division One Heys Inn lost only their second match of the season, but the 3-1 defeat by Swan Whalley was crucial to who would take the runners-up spot, and it lifted the Swan into second above Accrington Sports on goal difference.

Stanhill Lions' midweek defeat by Apeks, Lower Darwen, meant that although they had a massive 10-0 win over bottom club Clarence Hotel, they have to settle for fourth place in the end.

Runners-up spot in Division Two is still undecided, but two wins by EH Football, one in midweek, another at the weekend, has put them six points clear of Brownhill Arms who lost 3-1 to bottom club Little Crown. This weekend saw mid-table Woolpack surrender a 4-0 lead in a 5-5 draw with Queen's, Eastgate.

Before this week's matches three clubs contested the Division Three championship. Now there are only two. This arises with Lomax Arms beating Alma Inn 3-0 and so eliminating Alma from honours. Lomax have what is on paper, the easier final fixture this coming weekend against lowly Wilpshire Bull's Head. They look likely champions this season and the runners-up spot will then be between Brown Cow and Alma with Brown Cow slight favourites.

Midweek results - Division One: Apeks Lower Darwen 5, Stanhill Lions 1.

Division Two: EH Football 6, Calderstones 2; Queen's Eastgate 2, Oswaldtwistle Rovers 4. Sunday - Division One: Heys Inn 1, Swan Whalley 3; Rishton Arms 1, De Lacy Arms 2; Stanhill Lions 10, Clarence Hotel 0.

Division Two: Little Crown 3, Brownhill Arms 1; Ossy Hotspur 2, EH Football 3; Woolpack 5, Queens, Eastgate 5.

Division Three: Blackburn Bull's Head 2, Oswaldtwistle Ref 2; Lomax 3, Alma 0; LS Roofing 0, Brown Cow 5; Woodnook 1, United SC 6.

Fixtures for Sunday - Division One: Clarence Hotel v Rishton Arms (Haslingden); Swan Whalley v Apeks Lower Darwen (Whalley CC).

Division Two: Brownhill Arms v EH Football (Pleckgate); Calderstones Hospital v Ossy Hotspur (Calderstones); Royal Hotel v Queen's, Eastgate (Marl Pits).

Division Three: Alma Inn v Brown Cow (Memorial); Lomax ARms v Wilpshire Bull's Head (Memorial Park).

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.