Broad Oak captain Lee Baxter needs just 170 more runs to become the all-time leading scorer in the Drakes Huddersfield Cricket League.
The 40-year-old is closing in on the record of Golcar great John Cooper, set between 1968 and 2004 for the Swallow Lane club.
Cooper had 20,141 runs from 786 innings (97 not outs), while Baxter stands on 19,972 as he prepares to lead his side into battle against Premiership leaders Scholes on Saturday.
There are nine more matches for Baxter to break the record this season, although he freely admits he’s not been in the best of form!
His 23 not out against last week took him to 297 runs for the campaign from 15 innings (three not outs).
“I was shocked to find out I was so close, to be honest, when it came out, but the way I’m playing at the moment it might take me another three seasons to get there!” he smiled.
“I’ve been having one of the worst spells of my life earlier in the season, but it will be a nice achievement if I ever do get there.”
Baxter began his career in 1990 and made an excellent start, hitting 323 runs in just eight innings, with one not-out score.
In four successive seasons from 1994 to 1997, he scored more than 1,000 runs each year and Baxter has enjoyed a glorious career and deserves his place among the very best.
Peter Dibb – one of only three men to complete the remarkable double of 10,000 runs and 1,000 wickets alongside John Shaw and John Sanderson – has compiled the records.
Dibb won the league batting prize in 1953 with Honley and, incredibly, 30 years later in 1983, won the bowling prize with Paddock.
In the Drakes Premiership on Saturday, attention focuses on the battle to avoid relegation and the bottom four play among each other.
Slaithwaite and Skelmanthorpe, in the two relegations placings right now, are five points adrift of Moorlands and eight points behind fourth-bottom Elland.
Elland host Slaithwaite this weekend while Moorlands are at home to Skelmanthorpe.
On Sunday, the semi-finals of the Oddfellows Cup and Earnshaw Cup will be played.
In the first-team Oddfellows, Birkby Rose Hill of the Cedar Court Conference host Meltham of the Jedi Sports Championship (1pm)
And Championship leaders Cawthorne are at home to third-placed Clayton West.
In the second-team Earnshaw, it’s Clayton West v Kirkheaton and Armitage Bridge v Holmfirth.
