Hambleton Ales North Yorkshire League

Bedale knocked top of the table Harlow off their perch in Division One.

Their surprise 2-1 victory was achieved thanks to wins by Alan Peirson and Mike Richardson.

Harlow have now changed places with Harrogate Squash II who had earlier occupied the leading position.

While Bedale were securing their upset defeat against Harlow against Squash were beating Thorp Perrow 2-1 away.

But it's still nip and tuck at the top. Squash are on 98 points while Harlow have 94. Bedale are now fourth on 79, the same number of points as Harrogate Squash first team, who have a match in hand on the chasing pack.

Scores - Harlow 1 Bedale 2 (Harlow names first): Warren Cunningham lost to Alan Peirson 4-9, 9-5, 3-9, 7-9; Nigel Chambers beat Dave Horner 9-5, 7-9, 9-5, 9-7; Dave Allenby lost to Mike Richardson 9-4, 3-9, 9-6, 1-9, 2-9.

Thorp Perrow 1 Harrogate Squash II 2 (Harrogate names first): Bob Peacock lost to Keith Parlour 9-6, 9-0, 9-10, 2-9, 5-9; Dave Dodwell beat Mark Allison 9-7, 8-10, 5-9, 9-6, 9-3; Steve Terry beat John Hart 8-10, 9-2, 9-1, 10-8.

Allison was leading by two games to one in his match when he pulled a calf muscle before going on to lose the last two games.

Results - Division One: Harlow 1 (Nigel Chambers) Bedale 2 (Alan Peirson, Mike Richardson); Thorp Perrow 1 (Keith Parlour) Harrogate Squash II 2 (Dave Dodwell, Steve Terry).

Division Two: Ripon 3 (John Bailey, Tony Rennison, Steve Thackray) Wensleydale II 0.

Division Three: Wensleydale IV 1 (Chris Taplin) Harrogate Squash IV 2 (Karen Leake, John Elsworth); Pateley Bridge II 0 Bedale III 3 (Geoff Coles, Andrew Hawkswell, Mike Lumley); Thirsk III 3 (John Frankland, Mark Fox, Stefan Tomaszewski) Harrogate Squash IV 0; Harlow IV 1 (Stuart Anderson) Thorp Perrow II 2 (Bernard Jacklin, Dave Trewhitt).

Harrogate and

District League

Three players - including a top Yorkshire county star - hit triple trouble when their teams were blackballed for ignoring a key rule in the League.

Ilkley's Ben Rickarby, a member of Yorkshire's championship-winning inter county side, along with Harrogate Squash Club players Chris Gordon and Karen Leake have all had individual victories overturned because their clubs failed to register them with the league for the second half of the season. League records showed the trio had not played in the first half of the campaign.

In Division One, Gordon's 9-1, 9-7, 9-6 win over Nomads' player Steve Trigg was reversed, giving Nomads a 3-0 win over Squash rather than a 2-1 verdict.

In Division Two, Rickarby's 9-0, 9-0, 9-1 win against Andy Macmillan (Knaresborough) was wiped out, giving Knaresborough a 3-0 win over Ilkley.

And in Division Three, Karen Leake's 9-1, 9-6, 5-9, 9-3 victory against Knaresborough's Phil Smelt was short-lived. This was also reversed, giving Knaresborough II a 3-0 win over Harrogate Squash V.

Players who have not competed in the first half of the season cannot play in the latter half if they are not registered.

League secretary Dave Cockle said the rule had caused some problems in the past but all clubs were aware of it.

The purpose of the rule is to give the league control over teams bolstering their sides in the final lap of the season when promotion and relegation issues can be affected by a sudden input of newcomers.

Nomads are the current champions, but despite their "gift" from Squash are unlikely to regain the title. Current favourites are Harrogate Squash and Moortown.

But because of the registration blunder Squash have lost the lead at the top of Division One to Moortown, the Leeds side now in front by nine points.

Scores - Nomads 3 Harrogate Squash 0 (Nomads names first): Cameron McMaster beat Simon Myring 9-5, 10-8, 9-6; Richard Leonard beat Roy Kneller 10-8, 8-10, 9-2, 5-9, 9-3; Steve Trigg lost to Chris Gordon 1-9, 7-9, 6-9 (rubber reversed, Gordon unregistered).

In this match, Cameron McMaster's victory against Simon Myring, who took over from McMaster as Harrogate's individual champion recently, was taken in straight games, although it involved a closely fought second game. McMaster had to pull out of the event for business reasons and seemed determined to stamp his authority on the clash.

While Harrogate Squash were losing their first match of the season and three extra points because of their ineligible player championship-chasing Moortown piled on the pressure with a 3-0 win at Collingham.

Scores - (Moortown names first): Robin Mannell beat Nick Brown 8-10, 9-1, 9-8, 9-0; Phil davies beat Matthew Cooke 4-9, 10-9, 9-0, 9-3; Geoff Mortimer beat Anthony Kettlewell 9-4, 4-9, 9-6, 10-8.

Results - Division One: Nomads 3 (Cameron McMaster, Richard Leonard, Steve Trigg) Harrogate Squash 0; Collingham 0 Moortown 3 (Robin Mannell, Phil Davies, Geoff Mortimer); Ilkley II 2 (Neil Cowan, Roger Goodwin-Jones) Harlow II 1 (Tom Ellis).

Division Two: Moortown II 1 (Nigel Lister) Collingham III 2 (Nick Johnson, Frank Vassallo); Harlow III 0 Collingham II 3 (Ken Buckley, Charlie Wardroper, Brian Manson 0; Harrogate Squash IV 3 (Paul Duncalf, Ken Hughes, Andy Winspeare) Pateley Bridge 0; Harrogate Squash III 1 (Steve Terry) Harrogate Squash II 2 (Roger Stead, Paul Hotchkiss); Ilkley 0 Knaresborough 3 (Andy Macmillan, Gary Hatch, Peter Bottomley).

Division Three: Knaresborough II 3 (Phil Smelt, Martin Gibson, Ray Geary) Harrogate Squash V 0; Harlow IV 3 (Sophie Jacob, Paul Fairhurst, Stuart Anderson); Army Foundation College 0; Boroughbridge 3 (John Frankland, Rob Hayhurst, Dave Flintoff); Moortown III 0 Ripon 3 (Tony Rennison, Neil Jackson, Sue Bailey); Army Foundation College 0 Harrogate Squash V 3 (Ian Berrill, John Elsworth, Peter Cronin)