The battle for the final place in next season’s Furrows Shropshire Premier Bowls League reaches fever pitch tonight – and it’s too close to call.

That’s the verdict of Childs Ercall skipper John Breeze ahead of his side’s clash with Burway in the eagerly-anticipated play-off at Meole Brace’s non-premier green (7pm).

On paper, it certainly has all the makings of a classic encounter.

Childs Ercall may have finished bottom of the Premier but, in terms of points, they were the league’s most-improved team in 2009.

And Ludlow and Tanners league champions Burway have served notice of their class by brushing aside Prees and Hadley over the past seven days in the pre play-off round robin.

For Breeze, the very future of his side is at stake, with the Ercall captain fearing a mass exodus of his top talent should the unthinkable happen and his team gets relegated this evening.

“It’s really important to us because I’d very much doubt if we’d stick together as a side if we went down,” he said.

“A few of our better players would probably want to keep on playing in the Premier League and I’m sure they’d find clubs.

“I think it will be close tonight -we’re two evenly-matched sides, but I think we might just edge it.

“We haven’t been playing badly this season, even though we finished bottom.

“We’re actually the most improved team in the league, in that we finished 36 points better off than last year – even though we finished second bottom then.”

Childs Ercall have experienced the agony of the play-offs before, having come bottom in 2002 but lived to fight another day by beating Bowring by 25 chalks – also at Meole!.

They also propped up the league again in 2005, though the withdrawal of Craven Arms mid- season meant no-one was relegated.

“I wasn’t actually with the team then, so I did not experience those seasons,” added Breeze.

“But over half of our team were and I’m sure they will remember what a big game the play-off was, and what it felt like to win it.”