Pontefract 2 extended their sensational winning run to seven matches and are now favourites to claim the runners-up spot behind champions Queens in this season’s Yorkshire Premier League. 

After Wednesday night’s 17-8 victory over Hallamshire, Ponte’s second team now know they need 11 points from next week’s season-concluding visiting to Chapel Allerton to be certain of finishing in second place. 

Ponte 2 got off to a flyer with straight-games wins early doors for Billy Hawes and Tom Bamford against former Pontefract junior Asia Harris and Alex Cutts respectively. When Matt Godson got the better of former world no.13 Donna Lobban, the five winning bonus points were sealed. 

The two top-order matches both went the way of Hallamshire, with the Sheffield side’s Harry Falconer overcoming Adam Taylor in four, paving the way for a 'generation game' at top string – British junior champion Sam Todd, 18, against legendary three-time world champion Nick Matthew, 41. Matthew took a two-game lead before Todd battled back, only for the veteran to claim victory 12-10 in the deciding fifth. 

Third-placed Abbeydale are Pontefract 2’s only realistic challengers for second place despite going down 15-7 at home to runaway title-winners Queens. 

Danny Bray and the awesome James Earles (only four games dropped in 17 matches this season!) got Queens off to their usual strong start, but Josh Taylor slipped up against Abbeydale’s Phil Scully at third string. 

Queens’ Temwa Chileshe edged through a very tight four-gamer against Adam Turner to seal the victory for the Halifax club – their 16th in 17 fixtures this season – before Elliot Morris Devred beat older brother Lwamba Chilishe in rapid fashion at top string to reduce the margin of Abbeydale’s defeat - and leave them nine points off second. 

Hull & East Riding are now certain to finish bottom of the table after their narrow 14-10 home defeat by Doncaster. 

It started well enough for the Humberside outfit when Fiona Moverley won her 14th YPL match in succession, thrashing Shaun Bradley, and Glyn Saunders also won in a flash at fourth string. 

However, Millie Tomlinson’s epic five-game marathon against Mike Reid, which she won 20-18 in the decider, turned the tide. Nick Ratnarajah beat Yusuf Forster in four and the match decider at top string saw Doncaster’s Kiwi Joel Arscott take down fellow youngster Ben Smith. 

Back up towards the top and fourth-placed Dunnington – level on 205 points with Hallamshire – have only a notional chance of overhauling Pontefract 2 and snatching second. Their 15-7 victory over Chapel Allerton was a see-saw affair, with home victories for Matthew Stephenson and Cai Younger being cancelled out by Sam Davey and Connor Sheen for Chapel A. 

It all came down to Chris Simpson, the Guernseyman who retired from the PSA Tour in 2019, against Richie Fallows, the current world no.77 - and Simpson took it with ease 11/711/7 11/3. 

In this week’s other fixture, Woodfield overcame Pontefract 1 by 18-6 in a fairly academic lower mid-table encounter. Highlight of the evening was a five-set thriller between new England no.1 Patrick Rooney and world no.42 Declan James. After two epic first games, which the Nottingham-based James took 13/11, 20/18, Rooney battled back to parity only to let the fifth slip 11/6.