Oxfordshire Ladies beat Bedfordshire in the Mid England League at Kidlington to go 28 points clear at the top of the table with three fixtures remaining.

In a nail-biting encounter, Oxon got home by a single shot 121-120, thanks to rink wins from Pauline Wilson, Carol Gaskins and Pat Ostler.

Oxfordshire 121 (16pts), Bedfordshire 120 (6) (Oxon skips first): S Lacey 16, J Dowers 18; P Wilson 22, P McLaren 17; D Jacob 12, J Ralph 26; C Gaskins 21, J Hirst 12; J Berry 20, J Cooper 25; POstler 30, P Bright 22.

Meanwhile, Oxon beat Bucks 112-111 in a friendly at West Witney.

Oxon 112, Bucks 111 (Oxon skips first): J Gleeson 17, S Faulks 17; B Pearce 13, G Dimmock 17; P Wilson 25, L Throup 17; S Rogers 20, M Roberts 21; S Lacey 19, P Rodgers 13; P Ostler 8, P Armstrong 26.

l Banbury Central beat last year’s national runners-up Oxford City and County in the Oxfordshire final of the National Top Club competition.

Central will now compete in the inter-county stages for a place in the finals at Torquay in September.

They won in the singles, triples and fours, giving them a points win of 3-1.

In the County Top Club semi- finals, Thame overcame Oxford City and County and Shiplake beat Headington. The finals will be played on Sunday, August 21.

The County Fours quarter and semi-finals were played at Thame BC with teams skipped by Ann Norton (Banbury Central) and Carol Penson (Oxford C&C) qualifying for the national finals.

Norton’s four of Mo Cox, Gill Hunt and Sue Waring beat Shirley Crocker’s four in the quarter-final, while Penson’s four of Margaret Stacey, Maggie Alderson and Carol Gaskins, defeated Jenny Gleeson’s four.

In the semi-finals, Norton overcame Oxford City & County’s Sue Mayo, Hazel Woodward, Jeanette Berry and Sue Lacey, and Penson’s accounted for last year’s county runners up Carol Galletly, Helen Campion, Stella Amos and Caroline Campion.

Both semi-finals represent Oxon in the national finals in August at Leamington and will face each other in the county finals on July 21-22 at South Oxford.