DUO KEEP PRESSURE ON LEADERS PONTEFRACT
Defending champions Pontefract 1 plundered another victory but nearest rivals Dunnington and Doncaster kept the pressure on at the top of the Yorkshire Premier League.
A routine 18-4 home triumph over fifth-placed Cleethorpes puts Pontefract 1 on 123 points, 11 ahead of Dunnington who have played a game more and aren’t in action next week. Doncaster are 11 further back on 101 following this week’s thrashing of Hallamshire.
On Wednesday night, Ponte no.4 Adam Taylor started by outfoxing Alexander Bendy, but Cleethorpes no.3 Louie Truman levelled the scores with a four-game win over Tom Bamford.
It was all Ponte thereafter though, with Aussie Brad Fullick and Commonwealth Games silver medallist Hollie Naughton encountering little resistance and Scotland international Rory Stewart applying the finish touch at no.1 against Harry Falconer.
Second-placed Dunnington recorded a sixth win of the season with an 18-5 triumph over Pontefract 2, kickstarted by former Ponte player Taminder Gata Aura in straight games and veteran Matt Stephenson in five.
Cai Younger was pushed in the opening two salvos by James Wilkinson before easing through the third, then Charlie Keeble raced past American Ben Gemma, also in three. At no.1, Kiwi Lwamba Chileshe posted a consolation for the visitors with a four-game victory over the York side’s Pakistani no.1 Amaad Fareed. The result leaves Pontefract 2 joint bottom with Queens.
Doncaster, champions in 2023/24, kept themselves in the title reckoning courtesy of a 20-1 thrashing of beleaguered Hallamshire, who are now just one point off the bottom two having played a game more.
Ed Walker and Abhinav Gupta laid the platform with 3/0 wins, then Kiwi Joel Arscott and former England international George Parker followed suit. Only second string David Turner was delayed in getting the job done, winning in four against namesake Adam Turner.
Harrogate remain in fourth place but peripheral to the title race at this stage after a narrow 15-9 win over mid-table Ferriby Hall.
Josh Rowley and Richard Hinds won for the hosts while Edward Bidder and Samuel Ince-Carvalhal replied for Ferriby. That meant the top-string duel between veteran Chris Simpson and Londoner Caleb Boy was the decider — and it was former England international Simpson who took it in four.
