Kidlington Forum B and Crown House continued to set a hot pace at the top of Oxford League Division 1 by securing maximum points in their opening matches of the second half of the campaign.

Leaders Kidlington notched up an 8-2 win against Morris Motors A, with Karl Bushell and Manifred Ebner winning all their singles. Meanwhile their nearest rivals, Crown House A, scored an impressive 8-2 victory over Rutherford, with Ray Powell picking up a maximum.

Division 3 leaders Crown House C nearly lost their unbeaten record to Nielsen A.

Things were looking distinctly bleak for Crown, when they found themselves trailing 5-1, with Luke Smith losing to both Mike Aistrop and Ken Rae, and leading player Dave Gardner also going down to the impressive Rae.

Crown captain George Byles then steadied the ship, and with Gardner now stepping up a gear, helped Crown to bounce back for a draw.

Morris Motors D continued their fine form with a 9-1 victory over Vikings C. Terry Sloper stopped the whitewash when he just edged home against Sue Gokgor in the fifth game.

The young Bicester trio of Paul Bonnet, Jordan Weaver and Sam Dallaway won 6-4 against Holton A, with each of the youngsters winning twice.

In-form Wendy Chapple picked up another maximum in Bicester D's 6-4 victory over Morris Motors F in Division 4.

OXFORD LEAGUE RESULTS

Div 1: Rutherford 2, Crown Hse A 8 (R Powell 3); Morris Mtrs A 2, Forum B 8 (K Bushell 3, M Ebner 3); Crown Hse B 7 (M Newns 3), Vikings A 3.

Div 2: Gladiators 3, Morris Mtrs C 7 (E Deeley 3).

Div 3: Morris Mtrs D 9 (J Burgess 3, P Reynolds 3), Vikings C 1; Vikings D 3 (T Strange 3), Bicester B 7; Crown Hse C 5, Nielsens A 5; Bicester C 6, Holton A 4; Vikings D 3, Nielsens A 7 (K Rae 3).

Div 4: Bicester D 6 (W Chapple 3), Morris Mtrs F 4; Nielsens B 6 (M Walker 3), Forum H 4.

In spite of a maximum by Nigel Taylor, Oxford lost 6-4 to Nottinham C in Division 2 of the Veterans Midland League.

Abingdon stun Sutton Division 1 side Sutton C crashed to a 9-0 defeat against third division side Abingdon E in the Didcot & District League's Handicap Shield competition. Wayne Soanes, Luomir Spassov and Tom Whale each won three for Sutton.

Another Division 1 side also went out to Division 3 opposition, Abingdon A going down 5-4 to DPS D, for whom Richard Webb secured a maximum.

A John Forty maximum led Division side 2 Howbery A to a 7-2 victory against Division 4 novices North Moreton.

Grove lost 6-3 against outfit Abingdon B, for whom Pat O'Regan recorded a maximum.

League newcomer Dave Porter, of Division 3 side Abingdon D, won his three off a generous handicap, but John Gould, Dave Harradine and Mike Bradley each won twice to ease Drayton B, to victory.

RESULTS

Handicap Shield: Grove 3, Abingdon B 6 (P O'Regan 3); Abingdon C 6 (N Shaw 3), Letcombe B 3; Abingdon D 3 (D Porter 3), Drayton B 6; DPS D 5 (R Webb 3), Abingdon A 4; Sutton C 0, Abingdon E 9 (W Soanes 3, T Whale 3, L Spassov 3); Howbery A 7 (J Forty 3), North Moreton 2; Letcombe C 7 (J Long 3), Sutton D 2.

Div 1: Crown 10 (G Donovan 3, A Noke 3, N Taylor 3), DPS B 0.

Div 3: DPS D 9 (P Sinclair 3, L Sheppard 3), Letcombe C 1.

Div 4: Drayton G 3 (R Carr 3), North Moreton 7.