Pontefract thrash Harrogate while Yorkshire Premier title rivals are beaten

​Ponte's thrashing of fourth-placed Harrogate combined with Hallamshire's home defeat by Queens stretched the lead at the top from 25 to 37 points with seven matches remaining.

The leaders' 20-1 victory by the Stray maintained their 100 per cent record and brings the prospect of a first title for 15 years ever closer.

It started with the number ones going on first and it was world no.52 Patrick Rooney who downed his training partner Lwamba Chileshe in straight games to set the tone of the evening.

On the adjacent court, Ponte captain Matt Godson betrayed a few after-effects of a heavy match the previous night in the North West Counties League by dropping the first game against Alec Fuller.

But he soon found his rhythm to take the next three and that turned out to be Ponte's only dropped point of the night.

Pontefract no.2 Rory Stewart, of Scotland, was an impressive winner against veteran Chris Simpson.

Kiwi teenager Freddie Jameson won in three over Josh Rowley at fifth string and Adam Taylor chopped the indefatigable Ross Kneller, also in straight games.

Hallamshire's surprise 15-8 home defeat to Queens was a further boost to Ponte's evening. The Sheffield club were missing the two Nicks, Wall and Matthew, and their stand-in top order duo both lost.

Welsh international Lowri Roberts got an early three points on the board for Queens by defeating Nick Hargreaves at no.5, but Hallamshire established a 2-1 lead thereafter through young Welshman Oliver Jones and club head coach Adam Turner.

However, Queens turned things round late in the evening with a tough three-game victory for Kuwaiti Bader Almaghrebi against Matt Gregory, then James Earles's see-saw five-game marathon against New Zealander Temwa Chileshe at top string.