Not even three-times world champion Nick Matthew could prevent Queens claiming a fifth successive victory in the Yorkshire Premier League as they retained their 16-point lead at the top. 

The Halifax club hosted Matthew’s Hallamshire on Wednesday night and recorded a 17-7 victory that further underlines their status as red-hot title favourites even at this early stage of the season. 

Sarah Campion, the former world no.15, kicked things off with an epic 3-2 win over Jack Cornell that she settled 11/9 in the final game. Danny Bray and James Earles both maintained their impeccable YPL records this season to ensure the Queens team victory. 

New Zealander Lwamba Chileshe took on Harry Falconer at second string and won it in five entertaining games to rack up Queens’ fourth win of the night. 

The top string tussle may have been a dead rubber but featured a keenly fought first game in which former Commonwealth Games gold medallist Matthew conquered Wales’ world no.89 Emyr Evans 20/18! After that, Evans won only four more points, including a ‘bagel’ in the third. 

Chapel Allerton are doing their best to keep Queens on their toes. Their 17-4 home victory over Doncaster was their fourth win from five and was sealed early on in the evening as their lower order – Declan Christie, Matty Powell and Rahul Bansal – all won in straight games. 

Welshman Owain Taylor dropped the first game at no.2 string against Doncaster’s New Zealander Joel Arscott before coming through in four, but Donny did get a ‘W’ on the board when their no.1 Miles Jenkins (unbeaten in four YPL games this season) conquered Chapel A’s Conor Sheen in three. 

Third-placed Dunnington thrashed bottom side Hull & East Riding 20-2 with frankly indecent haste. 

Captain Matthew Stephenson and Jamie Todd got the ball rolling with straight-games wins, although no.3 string Ed Shannon was taken to five by Hull’s Fiona Moverley, the former world no.21. 

That was as good as it got for poor Hull, whose top two Mike Reid and Glyn Saunders suffered resounding defeats to Guernseyman Chris Simpson and Cai Younger respectively. 

Like Dunnington, defending champions Abbeydale have won three of their five games so far and sit in fourth place. They sent Pontefract 1 packing with a dominant 18-5 win. 

The two Turners, Oli and Adam, won in straight games at five and two in the order respectively, while Nick Wall Snr and Phil Scully rattled through in three. Only Patrick Rooney, now ranked 33 in the world, provided any joy for visiting Ponte. His whippy front-court skills were much in evidence as he conquered Elliot Morris Devred in four. 

There was better news for Pontefract 2, who won for the second week in a row to go two points above their stablemates into eighth place. 

Tom Bamford and Matt Godson got them off to a rapid start by toppling Woodfield’s Paul Gane and Alec Tomlinson with minimal fuss. Although home debutant Jake Robinson lost 3-1 to Aaron Allpress, Ponte 2 sealed the five winning bonus points when, on the adjacent court, Adam Taylor brilliantly beat Simon Herbert in four. 

That all meant the eagerly-awaited clash between Ponte’s great young hope Sam Todd and England international Declan James was a dead rubber. Todd, just back from a stint in America, went down in straight games. It was an ideal warm-up for James ahead of next week’s Canary Wharf Classic.