Queens and Dunnington pulled clear at the top of the table in round eight of the Yorkshire Premier League while bottom club Chapel Allerton’s revival continued. 

Defending champions Queen recorded their sixth win of the campaign, conquering fourth-placed Woodfield 17-3, to keep hold of top spot by two points. 

With British junior champion Finnlay Withington and Wales international Emyr Evans unavailable, James Earles stepped up to top string for Queens and won at a canter against youngster Ben Sockett. 

By that point, Queens had already wrapped up the win thanks to former world no.15 Sarah Campion, the talented Bader Almaghrebi and Josh Taylor, who were all victorious in straight games.  

Woodfield’s consolation victory, which saw Ray Nevin clinch his sixth YPL victory in seven attempts this season, was also in straight games, although each one was tight against Queens’ no.4 Danny Bray. 

Dunnington - YPL champions in 2018 - are hot on Queens’ heels after dispatching top-flight new boys Harrogate 19-9. 

Unlike Queens’ match, all five match-ups in this one were lengthy, starting with Matthew Stephenson’s epic five-game victory over Ross Kneller at fifth string. 

Taminder Gata Aura and Seif Heikal both won in four to wrap up the five bonus points early doors for the York side. There were then two mammoth clashes at the top of the order with Harrogate’s Declan Christie winning 12/10 in the fifth over Michael Andrews at no.2 and Dunnington’s Chris Simpson triumphing 12/10 in the decider in a sweat-soaked duel with New Zealander Lwamba Chileshe. 

Hallamshire are now 17 points off the top two after losing a rapid, star-studded affair 14-6 at Doncaster. 

All matches were over in straight games, starting with bullish lower-order victories for Donny duo David Turner and Brett Schille. 

Adam Turner started a Hallamshire comeback which three-time world champion Nick Matthew completed by dispatching Kiwi Joel Arscott (who he coaches at his academy). 

It all came down to Scotland’s no.1 Greg Lobban against Hallamshire’s world no.48 Nick Wall and it was Doncaster’s top man who took it to lift the hosts into sixth place in the table. 

Chapel Allerton, who lost their opening five matches, now have hope of survival after leaving West Yorkshire rivals Pontefract 1 with a nail-biting 18-7 triumph. 

Cameron Ward and Lewis Harding landed two early blows for the visitors with 3/0 victories. Yorkshire county team-mates Gabriel Cox and Ben Beachill then took to the stage and served up a cracker which the latter won 11-4 in the fifth. 

Pontefract then drew level when Ben Hetherington survived being pegged back from 2/0 ahead by Aaron Allpress to take a deciding game 11/8. But Chapel A’s win was sealed when Connor Sheen hit back from a game down to conquer Carlton Oldham at top string. 

Pontefract’s second team also suffered defeat – their third in a row – although they remain above their stablemates in lower mid-table by six points. 

Ponte 2 were first to get a ‘W’ on the board through young Joe Royle but fifth-placed hosts Abbeydale hit back through Ryan Spencer who won a cracker with Billy Hawes 11-9 in the fifth. 

Commonwealth Games silver medallist Hollie Naughton re-established Ponte’s lead but Abbeydale’s top two, Jordan Hardwick and world no.150 Elliot Morris-Devred, brought home the points for the Sheffield side via a 15-9 scoreline.