THE Hills are one match away from winning the Leinster League Division One title after a 69-run victory helped them leap-frog leaders YMCA.

The Skerries side comfortably overturned the two-points deficit with two games to play to lead new second place team Merrion by 11 points going into next weekend's final round of games.

Victory against relegated Phoenix will give The Hills their first league title since 2008. Former Phoenix player Osama Khan top scored, from No 10, with 35 from 17 balls to get The Hills up to 207-8. Then, after Reinhardt Strydrom had matched Khan's score from just two balls more, YM collapsed from 43-0 to 138 all out.

Merrion, kept the pressure on with a six-wicket win over Pembroke. John Anderson chipped in with an unbeaten 85 from 77 balls, with 14 fours, as the Ballsbridge side reached their target of 187 in the 33rd over.

He also took three wickets, including Andrew Balbirnie for 42. Top performer from the Ireland squad members involved in tomorrow's big game at Malahide was the uncapped Eddie Richardson, who hit 55 from 44 balls and took three wickets, including Kevin O'Brien for seven, as North County, for whom Conor Armstrong scored 113, beat Railway Union by 65 runs.

The two points were enough for Railway to confirm their Division One safety, but they didn't need them because Leinster were relegated after their eight wickets defeat at home to Phoenix.

They will be replaced in the top flight by Clontarf and Terenure, who confirmed their promotion with a crushing 159-run win over Leinster 2.

Their innings included a second-wicket stand of 322 – just 20 short of the Leinster senior record – between Richie Lawrence (155 not out) and Tom Fisher (151 not out).