Meole Brace still gunning to keep second spot

Thomas's side defeated Ifton and Archibald Worthington 10-4 on consecutive nights to put themselves seven points ahead of nearest rivals Sir John Bayley with four matches to play.

But Bayley have a potentially all-important game in hand still to accommodate, and Thomas admitted that he had been hoping for a higher points total from a double header on their own green.

He said: "We won both 10-4, they were two good wins but not good enough really.

"We needed to win 12-2 to keep any sort of pressure on the teams immediately below us and we just fell a bit short.

"We were targeting 24 points from those games and the gap on third place is only seven points at the moment.

"To be honest with the fixtures we have got – we have got to go away to Castlefields on Wednesday and we have also got to go to Chester Road soon – I don't think we are in pole position.

"I think it is up for grabs. We needed more to make second-placed safer."

Against Ifton on Thursday, Meole Brace shared the front four but won the middle and back four 3-1 for a comfortable home win.

Sir John Bayley meanwhile enjoyed a bumper home win on Friday defeating Ifton 12-2 while fifth-placed Wem closed the gap on the top four by beating Castlefields, fourth, 9-5.

Burway, sixth, enjoyed an away win at rock-bottom Bylet, winning 8-6, to leave 25 points from safety while

Bowring, 10th, defeated St Georges 9-5 while Wrockwardine Wood won by the same margin at home to Chester Road.

Leaders Newport are 23 points clear at the summit despite a narrow 8-6 defeat at Hadley, in a game decided by 20 shots on aggregate after both sides claimed six winners.