PRUDDON Road Surfacing Premier Division club Studley A could only manage a draw at the weekend and will now have to bridge a five point gap behind leaders Stratford B.

With five matches already gone Studley had kept hot on the heels of the Stratford, but met their match with visitors from the Littletons club.

Littletons pairing Sean Witheford and Dave Rudge stopped Studley's surge with most rubbers taken to three sets.

Witheford and Rudge first swept aside Clive Dalton and Chris Francis 6-1, 3-6, 6-2, before beating Dave Innes and Gary Jackson 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.

Meanwhile, the other Littletons pair of Alan Reynolds and Frank Meadows put up a brave fight before going down to Innes and Jackson 7-6, 6-7, 3-6, and then losing to Dalton and Francis 4-6, 4-6.

Third placed Inkberrow A managed a 2-2 draw with Stratford C thanks mainly to Adam Hill and Graeme Rankin who conquered Stratford pairings of George Goodman and David Hellier and Peter McDonald and Mark Parsons.

But Mark Rawling and Christian Duplan of Inkberrow lost to McDonald and Parsons 2-6, 2-6, and lost to Goodman and Hellier 6-7, 6-7.

In Division One Bidford drop a place after leaders Claverdon A comfortably beat them 4-0.

And bottom of the table Aston Cantlow and Inkberrow scrapped it out for a 2-2 draw.