Thumping wins for the two Sheffield clubs saw them tuck in behind runaway leaders Queens as the Yorkshire Premier League reached its halfway point on Wednesday night. 

Hallamshire made the short journey to relegation-threatened Woodfield and took maximum 20 points. Scotland no.1 Greg Lobban dominated against world no.35 George Parker at top string while Harry Falconer, Alex Cutts and Jack Cornell were all relatively easy winners lower down the order. 

Nick Wall, winner of the recent Swiss and Gibraltar Open titles, was the only visiting player to be pushed beyond three games. The 21-year-old was taken into a fifth by Woodfield second string Simon Herbert but took it comfortably enough 11/6 to put the seal on an impressive 20-2 team win. 

That moves Hallamshire into second on 124 points, 36 behind leaders Queens of Halifax. Meanwhile, defending champions Abbeydale moved up into third on 119 after dismissing a weakened Doncaster 20-3. 

Matt Jackson marked his season’s Yorkshire Premier debut with a 3/0 victory over Ted McQueen before Sam Watts and Phil Scully continued the home side’s procession. 

Adam Turner saw off Donny’s Nick Ratnarajah in four and Abbeydale top string Elliot Morris Devred beat young New Zealander Joel Arscott in four to leave the visitors rueing the absence of world no.8 Joel Makin and Miles Jenkins from their top order. 

Queens’ apparent canter to the title continued with a 19-7 triumph at Dunnington - the Halifax side’s eighth win out of nine this campaign. 

Alex Cahill stepped up from the second team to win a 3/2 cracker with Dunnington skipper Matthew Stephenson at fifth string. Danny Bray won more simply at no.4 before James Earles maintained his 100% record for the season by beating Ed Shannon in four. 

Temwa Chileshe wrapped up a fourth Queens win on the night in by toppling Cai Younger in four games but his brother (and Nick Matthew Academy stablemate) Lwamba couldn’t make it a clean sweep as he succumbed to former world no.20 Chris Simpson in the top string tussle. 

Chapel Allerton’s title hopes took a huge blow as they travelled to Pontefract 2 with a somewhat weakened side and went down heavily 18-3. 

Missing the likes of Owain Taylor, Matty Powell and the injured Conor Sheen, their night never got going as a pumped-up, in-form Ponte 2 put clear daylight between themselves and the strugglers at the bottom. 

No.5 Dominic Pegg put away James Butterworth, who was promoted from Chapel A’s second team for the night after recent fine form and fitness. Hollie Naughton, currently at a career-high world no.17, saw off Cameron Ward at fourth string. 

Ponte 2’s Tom Bamford and Matt Godson continued the straight-games theme before the visitors’ no.1 Richie Fallows belatedly put points on the board with a tight four-game win over Adam Taylor. 

Ponte 2 have Christmas bragging rights over the club’s first team as they sit three points above their stablemates in mid-table.  

Ponte 1 travelled to bottom side Hull & East Riding and won narrowly 16-10 in a see-saw match that had spectators hooked until the last shot. 

The night’s first two matches were split with Chris Gillespie winning in four for Ponte and Hull captain Fiona Moverley doing likewise. 

Hull’s Glyn Saunders got his first YPL victory of the season at the eighth attempt in beating George Wileman, but the match was soon all-square when Taminder Gata Aura won a cracking five-setter with Mike Reid. 

It was left to Patrick Rooney (who reached a career-high no.31 in December’s PSA world rankings) to bring home the bacon for Ponte and he did so, despite unexpectedly losing the first game to Hull’s valiant Nick Sutcliffe. 

The league now takes a seven-week mid-season break for Christmas, returning on Wednesday 19 January.