City on the charge

Propping up the other seven teams before the start of play, City moved off the bottom, and relegated Abingdon to the basement after a hard-fought victory, which was thanks, in the main, to their second pair of Nick Hughes and Barbara Gibbins.

Hughes and Gibbins won two and a half rubbers - their only setback coming when they lost the very first set of the afternoon on a tie-break to Goring's third pair of Guy Windsor-Lew and Liz Monro.

City's first pair of Adrian Roberts and Joan Smith won two rubbers, their only defeat coming in the final round against Mark and Sue Taylor, who also picked up two.

Abingdon slip to the bottom after a 9-0 whitewash by leaders and defending champions North Oxford.

Jonathan Maskens and Evelyn Swift, Rob Loosemore and Amy Shepheard, as well as Joe Cartledge and Kate Calnan were in unstoppable form as North stormed to victory, dropping just 33 games all afternoon.

The third pair of Cartledge and Calnan recorded the best results, dropping just eight games.

In Division 2, an impressive performance from Andy Bone and Charlotte Smith proved in vain for Banbury as they lost to leaders Woodstock B.

Bone and Smith won all three of their rubbers, but could not stop their side from falling to a 5.5-3.5 defeat to end their 100 per cent record.

However, they will point to three tie-break defeats in the other rubbers that ultimately cost them victory.

Tony Morris and Ros Suter were another pair to record a clean sweep of victories and still end up on the losing side.

The duo were in fine form for Thame B in their match with Bicester B, but could not stop their side from going down 5-4.

RESULTS

Mixed Div 1: Abingdon 0, North Oxford 9; Oxford City 3, North Oxford B 6; Oxford City B 5.5, Goring 3.5. Div 2: Banbury 3.5, Woodstock B 5.5; Bicester B 5, Thame B 4; North Oxford C 2, Witney 7. Div 3: Norham Gardens 6.5, Abingdon B 2.5; North Oxford D 4, Oxford City C 5.