Squash: Doncaster seize top spot in Yorkshire Premier League after Woodfield rout

York side Dunnington had claimed four wins from four going into Wednesday night's home clash with defending champions Hallamshire, but the visitors arrived from Sheffield with a stellar line-up and swept to a 17-5 victory.

World No.34 Nick Wall won a four-game battle at top string against former England international Chris Simpson to complete the job which had been started by his father, Nick Wall Snr, who beat Sam Gibbon at the bottom of the order.

Three-time world champion Nick Matthew slotted in at No.2 and ruthlessly dealt with Amaad Fareed in straight games - including a 'bagel' in the second. Hallamshire's Adam Turner dropped the first game on a tie-break against the hosts' Michael Andrews but won the next three. Only fourth string Luke McFarland managed to put a W on the board for the hosts.

Doncaster took advantage in emphatic fashion by hammering local rivals Woodfield without losing a single game. Craig Huckerby and Lewis Doughty kickstarted the whitewash, before Donny's top order of Toby Ponting, Joel Arscott and world No.60 Simon Herbert finished proceedings in rapid fashion and headed home for an early night.

There was another hammering at Harrogate where the Straysiders dealt newly-promoted Ferriby Hall a heavy 20-2 defeat to claim joint second place with Dunnington, just three points off the lead.

No.5 Dan Lawrence got what turned out to be Ferriby Hall's only two points of the night in a five-game defeat to Alec Fuller, but it was a procession thereafter as Richard Hinds, Gabriel Cox, Lewis Harding and Declan Christie all waltzed through in straight games (although Ben Sockett took Christie to tie-breakers in the first two games).

Queens are six points further back in fourth following an emphatic 17-5 win at under-strength Pontefract 1, who suffered without Patrick Rooney, Elijah Thomas, Abhay Singh or the injured Sam Todd.

Welshman Lowri Thomas recovered from losing the first game against Ponte veteran Billy Hawes, and although Ponte did level matters through Ben Beachill, Queens' strong top order turned the game their way.

Queens' Kuwait national champion Bader Almagrebhi won a very tight four-setter against Matt Godson, then James Earles and England's highly promising Finnlay Withington (already inside the world top 100 at 19) both won comfortably in three sets.

Elsewhere, Pontefract 2 won a mid-table skirmish at Abbeydale 15-6, with Welsh international Rhys Evans proving to be a crucial addition at No.1.

The match was in the balance late into the evening after 16-year-old Chester Dockray and New Zealander Mason Smales both won in straight games for Ponte 2, but Stanley Sykes and Michael Tallintire levelled matters for the hosts.

That left Evans, who starred for Wales at last summer's Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, to jostle for the match-winning honours with Pakistan's Mutahir Ali Shah.

Despite a lengthy first game, Evans sealed it to bank the five bonus points.