when they take on Bailey's Bay in the Open Knockout final today at White Hill field and then travel to National Sports Club for a match that could wrap up the Open League championship for them tomorrow.

Their priority no doubt is the league championship, which they have never won.

And while they are firm favourites to replace Devonshire Rec. as champions they still have to contend with a Nationals team who have lost only once in the league this season -- way back on June 21 when Somerset beat them by four wickets at Nationals.

A total of 16 points presently separate Stars from second-placed Bay and a combination of a Stars win and a Bay draw against Eastern Counties rivals Cleveland would eliminate Bay. Willow Cuts, 17 points adrift, are favoured to beat Somerset and could keep their very slim hopes alive with a 16-point win.

However, the championship will be sewn up if Stars collect a maximum points win.

Stars face St. David's in their final match next weekend while Bailey's Bay meet Hamilton Parish and Cuts are away to Southampton.

Nationals are presently in fourth place in the standings and the fact that they still have their sights on a top-four finish, so as to qualify for next year's Camel Cup, means that they have plenty to play for themselves.

With St. George's and Cleveland breathing down their necks, Nationals cannot afford anything less than a draw tomorrow if they are to make up for last season's failure to qualify for Camel Cup when they were beaten on the last day by Willow Cuts.

Nationals were boosted last weekend by the return of spinner Bruce Perinchief, which coincided with the loss of accident victim Jason Lewis. And, though he was costly, Perinchief was still their top bowler against Southampton Rangers with four for 85 from 15.5 overs.

Nationals' hopes of handing Stars their first league loss of the season will hinge on the likes of Perinchief, Wilfred Hudson, Chris Wright and John and Mark Ray. Wright took a hat-trick in his recent four for 11 from eight overs against St. David's and he is seen as the man to shake up Stars' early batsmen.

The loss of Lewis, due to a fall at work, will hurt both their batting and bowling as he was just coming into his own as a medium-pacer with four wickets each against Willow Cuts and St. David's.

Stars are strong in both the batting and bowling department, but will be minus in-form batsman Dexter Smith due to work commitments. Captain Gary Brangman leads a bowling attack that also contains the likes of Allan Brangman, Dwayne Steede and Roger Leverock, and spinners Arnold Manders and Wayne Richardson.

Bay cannot expect any favours from Cleveland as the Harris Bay boys still harbour ambitions of qualifying for next year's Camel Cup. Presently Cleveland are in sixth place, six points behind St. George's who have been climbing up the tables steadily of late and now have teams like Nationals and Willow Cuts looking over their shoulders.

The St. George's recovery has much to do with the batting form of captain Wendell Smith who tops the league with 1,144 runs, 39 more than Albert Steede, the only other batsmen to have scored 1,000 runs so far. Bailey's Bay pair Charlie Marshall (878) and Glenn Smith (817) are on the fringe of membership to that exclusive club, both with three innings to score the required runs.

Tomorrow, St. George's travel to Devonshire Rec. field to meet the reigning champions.

Schedule: Somerset v Willow Cuts; Warwick v Police; Social Club v Somerset Bridge; Devonshire v St. George's; Cleveland v Bailey's Bay; Hamilton Parish v Flatts; Nationals v Western Stars; St. David's v Southampton.

GARY BRANGMAN -- The Stars skipper will be hoping for a double celebration this weekend.