BROMLEY are within a whisker of winning the Kent Premier Cricket League for the third consecutive year.

With two matches left, the Plaistow Lane club are 27 points clear after beating Bickley by 88 runs for a batting first victory.

Two of their closest rivals, Beckenham and Gore Court, lost in the weekend's action with St Lawrence taking points at home to Sevenoaks to climb to second in the division.

At Bickley, the hosts won the toss and put Bromley into bat reducing the normally prolific side to 186.

Pick of the batsmen was opener Leo Taylor hitting 41 off 36 balls while Bickley's wicketkeeper Glynn Francis had a field day taking five catches.

In response, Bickley struggled from the first to the last of the 33.1 overs it took to dismiss them.

Only Daniel Murphy (25) and Julian Ramsey (22no) got beyond 20 runs while the rest of the batting order only managed 51 between them.

Robert Ferley took 3-13, Daniel Christian bowled 3-33 and Matthew Isaacs contributed 2-12.

Bromley host Blackheath on Saturday where a win seals the title.

Elsewhere Blackheath overcame Beckenham at The Rectory Field by 16 runs in a classic match.

The hosts set a reachable target of 160 off 39.2 overs with Alistair Owen-Browne taking 4-22 to demolish the middle order.

However, despite a steady opening where Chris Isles hit 65 and Beckenham reached 79-2 it all went wrong for the visitors.

They were only to add 65 runs for eight wickets and were eventually bowled out for 144 off 37.3 overs.

Gore Court suffered humiliation at relegation-threatened Tunbridge Wells, falling by seven wickets.

Batting first Gore were dismissed for 119 - at one stage they were in danger of complete collapse at 9-5.

Tunbridge made short work of the target, passing it in the 29th over with three wickets gone.

Bexley, still battling to beat the drop, beat Folkestone, who are all but relegated, by three wickets while St Lawrence beat Sevenoaks by five wickets.

Lordswood will be playing Premier League cricket next season as they have an unreachable 58-point lead at the top of Division One.

Any one of five teams can join them as just 25 points separates second and sixth.