North Oxford made their title intentions clear with a 7-2 win over Oxford City in Ladies' Division 1 of the Wilson OLTA Inter-Club 3-Pair League.

Victory maintains North's 100 per cent record at the top of the table, but City's second defeat in four matches rules them out of any championship challenge.

It is now a two-horse race for the top crown, with North and Oxford Sports going head-to-head.

Defending champions Sports stayed in touch with a 9-0 whitewash over Cholsey, but North's victory was more significant - and they have a point advantage over their rivals with four matches left.

The crunch clash comes on July 12 when the two meet in what is almost certain to be a title decider.

North's triumph included a final round clean sweep, which saw two of the three matches decided by tense final sets.

North held a narrow 2-1 lead after the first round, and after the second series of matches produced the same scoreline, needing only one rubber in the final round to secure victory.

And their first pair of Artis Kakonge and Evelyn Swift had little problem in seeing off Jess Stacey and Esther Simmonds to ensure the points.

But the other rubbers were much closer affairs.

North's second pairing of Mary Joyner and Gina Liverton took the first set 6-3 against opposite numbers Barbara Gibbins and Joan Smith, but were pegged back in the second set with the City duo running out 6-2 winners.

There was nothing to split the pairings in the final set, but Joyner and Liverton held their nerve in a tight tie-break to edge home.

It was a similar tale in the other clash, with North's Sue Duff and Maddy Mitchell going a set up on Linda Wastie and Andi Padbury with a 6-4 triumph.

Although City's third pair fought back to level 6-3, Duff and Mitchell got a crucial break of serve at 5-5 in the decider to run out 7-5 winners.

At the other end of the table Oxford Sports B are hot favourites for a quick return to Division 2 after a 6-3 defeat at the hands of Witney.

Both teams went into the match with 100 per cent losing records, but Witney proved too strong for Sports' second string, and the result was never in doubt from the first round of rubbers.

Witney's first pair of Sally Prys-Roberts and Debbie Hempstead collected two and a half rubbers, with Carol Roughton and Julie Murnaghan picking up two, and Nikki Kelly and Ali Morgan winning one and a half.

For Sports, only Suki Good and Helen Ditchfield put up a challenge, winning two rubbers and losing 7-6, 7-5 in the other - to Prys-Roberts and Hempstead.

In Division 2, Abingdon's second pair of Dominique Newman and Kathryn Schutterlin were the heroines in their 5-4 victory over Kings Sutton.

There was nothing between the sides all afternoon, with the scores level at 1 -1 after the first round and 3-3 after the second.

However, Kings Sutton's first pair of Stephanie Brown and Helen Loggin beat opposite numbers Jackie Hamill and Alison Haynes 6-2, 7-6 for their third win of the day to put their side 4-3 ahead.

Pam Gordon and Helen Asbury levelled matters with a 6-3, 6-1 victory over Beverley Nield and Emily Scaysbrook, which meant the match would be decided by the winners of the second pair clash.

Gill Phillips and Mary Awke took the first set 6-2, but Newman and Schutterlin fought back to level with a 7-5 second-set triumph, before turning up the heat in the final set to run out 6-0 winners and edge Abingdon home.

Banbury West End's top pairing of Katie Shires and Karen Taylor recorded a clean sweep of victories as their side narrowly beat Thame 5-4.

RESULTS

Ladies Div 1: Oxford City 2, North Oxford 7; Witney 6, Oxford Sports B 3, Cholsey 0, Oxford Sports 9. Div 2: North Oxford B 3, Goring 6; Abingdon 5, Kings Sutton 4; Banbury West End 5, Thame 4; Cholsey B 2 , Woodstock B 6 . Div 3: Kings Sutton B 4 , North Oxford D 4 ; Oxford Sports C 6, Woodstock C 3; Bicester B 5 , Banbury B 3 ; North Oxford C 4 , Abingdon B 4 .

Men Div 2: North Oxford C 4 , Banbury A 4 . Div 3: Goring 4, Woodstock B 5. Div 5: Woodstock C 5 , Bicester C 3 .