Pontefract 1 clung on to top spot in the Yorkshire Premier League as this season's incredibly tight title race intensified in round 11.

Ponte hit the summit last week for the first time this season but their lead was cut to a single point on Wednesday night as they won only narrowly at Abbeydale while Doncaster hammered Ferriby Hall to close the gap.

Hosts Abbeydale gave Ponte a rigorous test with home No.5 Hayden Tetley taking down veteran Stuart Hargreaves in a see-saw five-setter. Ponte were soon level, though, as skipper Matt Godson ground out a lengthy four-game victory over Phil Scully.

Ponte's Adam Taylor was ruthless in his first two games against Abbeydale youngster Josh Payne, coming within a point of dishing out a bagel in game two. Payne put a point on the board in the third but went down 12/10 in the fourth.

But after young Stanley Sykes battled to a brilliant five-game victory over Tom Bamford, the tie hung in the balance going into the top-string finale. Elijah Thomas settled the tension in quick time though, winning in straight games to card an 18-8 team win for the table-topping visitors.

It was much more straight-forward for Doncaster, who rose to second place after whacking Ferriby Hall 20-2. Will Donnelly, Lewis Doughty and Joel Arscott all won rapidly, then world No.68 Asia Harris dropped just one game en route to victory over Dan Lawrence and the ever-improving Simon Herbert (now 56 in the world) also won in four at top string.

Lying 10 points behind Doncaster are Queens who cruised past bottom side Woodfield 19-3. The first four matches of the evening were all straight-games affairs, with Danny Bray, Cory Harding, Josh Taylor and James Earles encountering little resistance.

The entertainment was left to the top string duo, 2023 British Junior Open champion Finnlay Withington and the maverick England international George Parker. It was a cracker, with 19-year-old Withington hitting back from two games down but unable to complete his comeback in the fifth, which Parker took 11/4.

Defending champions Hallamshire kept themselves firmly in the title reckoning by demolishing a youthful Harrogate 20-2 line-up to move up to fourth place. 

Matt Gregory and Nick Wall Snr won in four but elsewhere it was plain sailing for the home side's Nick Hargreaves, Adam Turner and New Zealander Temwa Chileshe. Hallamshire's trip to Pontefract 1 next week will be tasty.

Dunnington remain in the chasing pack despite a surprise 17-9 defeat to Pontefract 2 - for whom this was a very useful win in their relegation battle.

Joe Royle and James Wilkinson dug deep for early five-game victories, then young Chester Dockray sealed the five bonus points, dropping just one and two points in the second and fourth games respectively against Sam Gibbon.

Performance of the night went to Ben Hetherington as the Cumbrian stunned former world No.20 Chris Simpson in four dazzling games. Only at top string did Dunnington rescue some pride as Owain Taylor saw off Kiwi Mason Smales in three.