Dunnington made to wait for title celebrations

Dunnington needed just 14 points to wrap up the trophy in front of their own fans, but the Halifax outfit played party-poopers by storming to a 17-7 success to end the home side’s six-match winning run.

The YSL leaders should still claim the title in their last match of the season at seventh-placed Heaton on Wednesday, as they require only seven more points to clinch it, but Queens are not out of the race yet.

Victories by Patrick Rooney, Matt Sidaway, Connor Sheen and Madeline Perry over Gareth Lumsden (3/2), Matt Marshall (3/0), Ed Shannon (3/0) and Matt Stephenson (3/0) mean the Halifax outfit will entertain ninth-placed Hull and East Riding in their last match of the campaign on April 1 with an outside chance of the trophy.

Chris Simpson’s 3/0 win over James Earles in a dead rubber at the top of the order in midweek may yet prove crucial in the final analysis.

Dunnington now lead Hallamshire by just 10 points, after the Sheffield club claimed a hard-fought 16-11 victory at Chapel Allerton by virtue of having won more rubbers with the scores deadlocked at 11-11 at the end of the night.

However, Hallamshire have now completed their fixture list, so second place is the highest they can finish.

They head Queens by just seven points following victories by Mark Fuller over Eddie Charlton (3/2), Alex Cutts against Declan Christie (3/1) and Jack Alcock versus Ian Chappell (3/2).

Fuller’s win was a major surprise as he is ranked 146th in the world and Charlton is 52nd.