Abbeydale sneaked ahead of Pontefract 2 in the battle for second place in the Yorkshire Premier League while champions Queens kept their foot on the pedal.

Queens, finally confirmed as the title winners last week after totally dominating all season, won 4-1 for the eighth time in their last nine games as they triumphed at second-from-bottom Doncaster.

Having secured the championship, there were clearly no thoughts of taking it easy as Queens’ lower order of Alex Cahill, Danny Bray and James Earles all won in straight games to wrap up the winning bonus points in the blink of an eye. For Earles, it was his 16th YPL win out of 16 this season – 12 of them secured in three games. 

Kiwi Joel Arscott offered some resistance for Doncaster as he won in the YPL for the sixth week in succession, coming back from 2-1 down to overcome England Performance Coach Josh Taylor. Taylor's protégé, England U19 no.1 Finnlay Withington, rounded off Queens’ victory with a thrilling five-set win over Miles Jenkins at top string. 

Abbeydale walloped Chapel Allerton 5-0 (20-4) to climb above Pontefract 2 and into second place by a single point.

In two sweat-soaked opening matches, the visiting Sheffield side’s Ryan Spencer and Phil Scully came out on top of five-setters against Cameron Ward and Isaac Green respectively. It was more plain sailing thereafter as Nick Wall Snr, Adam Turner and Adam Auckland all ploughed through in straight games to kill off Chapel A’s hopes of a runners-up finish.

Pontefract 2, the self-styled ‘Unexpected Dream Team’, slip to third place despite an astounding sixth straight victory, this time toppling stablemates Pontefract 1 19-5 in the big derby clash.

Pontefract 2’s youngster Ben Beachill, son of former world no.1 Lee, beat Billy Hawes (who was loaned from the second team to the firsts for the evening) in four tough games. Canadian Hollie Naughton downed James Wilkinson in three then Tom Bamford sealed the bonus points with a four-game win over George Wileman. 

A fourth rubber of the night for the seconds was wrapped up when captain Matt Godson’s opponent Taminder Gata Aura had to retire with a hamstring injury in the second game. Pontefract 1 did get a 'W' on the board when Patrick Rooney (who climbed to no.25 in March’s PSA Tour world rankings announced the previous day) conquered Adam Taylor in five.

Hallamshire are also still in the hunt for a second-place finish, sitting nine points behind Abbeydale in fourth following a 3-2 (15-6) triumph over Dunnington. 

Dunnington took an early lead thanks to lower-order victories for captain Matthew Stevenson and Michael Andrews, but the Sheffield hosts roared back with Harry Falconer, three-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist Nick Matthew and Scotland no.1 Greg Lobban all winning briskly.

Bottom side Hull & East Riding are running out of time after a 16-7 home defeat to eighth-placed Woodfield. The Humberside club are 24 points adrift with only two fixtures left to play. 

YPL debutant Kai Bentick and veteran Fiona Moverley did get them off to a magnificent start, the former winning in three and the former world no.21 grinding out a five-setter. However, Woodfield’s top order clawed things back, with Matt Gregory and Simon Herbert levelling the scores and England international Declan James proving too strong for Yusuf Forster who was promoted up the order to top string.