Doncaster stunned leaders Hallamshire in the penultimate week of the Yorkshire Premier League season to set up a thrilling last-round title showdown.

Hallamshire could have sealed the trophy on Wednesday evening with a week to spare, but a 17-6 home defeat to Doncaster means the South Yorkshire rivals both go into next week’s season finale with hopes of lifting the trophy.

Although the home loss slashes Hallamshire’s lead to 12 points, they remain strong favourites to finish in top spot. Nine points or more in the cross-town derby at mid-table Abbeydale next week will seal it, regardless of Doncaster’s result at home to eighth-placed Harrogate. 

The absence of usual No.1 Nick Wall was critical for Hallamshire this week. Former world champion Nick Matthew stepped up to top string and suffered a five-game defeat – only his second in the YPL this season – to world No.78 Simon Herbert. 

The contest was over by that point anyway, as Doncaster’s middle order of Lewis Doughty, Will Salter and Kiwi Joel Arscott all won with relative ease to seal the bonus points, overturning an early deficit when Hallamshire’s Ollie Turner toppled England junior Asia Harris. 

Dunnington dropped below Doncaster into third after that result and their own surprise 14-8 defeat at Harrogate. The York side are mathematically still in with a shout of winning the title, but require the maximum 20 points and unlikely heavy defeats for the top two next week to sneak into top spot at the final hurdle. 

Taminder Gata-Aura, who has lost just once this season, posted another victory at No.5 and Seif Heikal also won in three – but that’s where the good news ended for visitors Dunnington. 

Back roared Harrogate to record just their sixth win in their first season back in the Yorkshire League’s top flight. Stuart MacGregor turned the tide by beating Michael Andrews in straight games, then Kiwi brothers Temwa and Lwamba Chileshe both won in four against Jared Carter and Chris Simpson respectively. 

Defending champions Queens can finish no higher than second and no lower than fourth after a 16-8 win at second-bottom Woodfield. Highlight of the evening was a cracker at top-string between firebrand George Parker and Britain’s finest junior, Finnlay Withington, which Parker won after losing the first game. 

Elsewhere, there’s a mid-table sub plot ahead of next week’s final matches, where both Pontefract sides are jostling for bragging rights.

Both won narrowly this week; Pontefract 2 with a 14-6 triumph at home to Abbeydale. Commonwealth Games silver medallist Hollie Naughton, youngster Ben Beachill and Matt Godson wrapped things up early with straight-games victories. 

Jordan Hardwick and Elliot Morris Devred then won in three at the top of the order for Abbeydale but of course the result was already in the bag for the hosts, who now lead their stablemates Pontefract 1 by two points in sixth and seventh in the table respectively. 

Ponte 1 won 15-8 at bottom club Chapel Allerton with the contest going down to a top-string decider. Unfortunately for the hosts, Patrick Rooney, the world No.20, was the visitors’ No.1 and he swatted Owain Taylor aside with ease to seal the win.