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Ponte 1 re-build big buffer at the top
22 Jan 2026

Pontefract 1 re-established their hefty 25-point advantage at the top of the Yorkshire Premier League with victory at third-placed Dunnington in round 11.

With second-placed Doncaster not in action this week, defending champions Pontefract 1 knew they could re-build a big buffer and they duly did so with a 17-6 victory in York which was a huge blow to Dunnington's lingering title ambitions.

Dunnington's late substitute Darren Mould was no match for Adam Taylor at fifth string, but Ponte skipper Matt Godson went down to a shock first defeat of the season at no.3, falling to Jamie Brown in straight games.

There was a further scare for the leaders when no.4 Tom Bamford dropped the first game against ex-Ponte veteran Taminder Gata Aura but he recovered to win in four. Australian Brad Fullick then sealed the bonus points with a straight-games win over Pakistani Amaad Fareed.

The night's denouement was spectacular, with Scotland's Commonwealth Games bronze medal winner Rory Stewart just about getting over the line in a gruelling battle with Welshman Owain Taylor, saving multiple match balls before winning 17-15 in the fifth.

At the bottom, Cleethorpes' plight was certainly not aided by a 20-0 whitewash up the coast at mid-table Ferriby Hall.

It was a short night's work for Glyn Saunders, Ed Bidder, Samuel Ince-Carvalhal and Caleb Boy who all won briskly. Ferriby Hall no.1 Ben Smith was at least taken to a tiebreak in the opening game by Harry Falconer, but still ran out a straight-games winner.

Second-from-bottom Hallamshire fell to an eighth defeat of the season but at least troubled the scorers in a 17-9 loss at Pontefract 2.

It looked promising early on for the Sheffield club when Matt Major and Fegus Hunt won in the lower order, but Ponte 2's US import Ben Gemma and teenager Chester Dockray levelled the scores at 2-2.

The top-string decider was a familial battle between Kiwi brothers Lwamba and Temwa Chileshe which the elder sibling Lwamba won in four games. The nine consolation points put Hallamshire 13 points above the dotted line.

Wednesday's other fixture was a mid-table skirmish between Queens and Harrogate which the Straysiders won at a canter 20-5. Richard Hinds and Isaac Green were taken to five, but thereafter Harrogate's Gabriel Cox, former world no.20 Chris Simpson and Welsh international Rhys Evans were more ruthless.