A PULSATING top-of-the-table clash between Vikings A and leaders Holton A went right to the wire.

The leading two teams in Division 1 of the Oxford & District League battled it out until almost midnight – when Vikings secured a 6-4 victory.

Watched by a capacity crowd, the match was decided when Pavel Jaskolski’s backhand retrieve from near the wall hit the very edge of the table to give Vikings victory.

Elson Costa set the ball rolling for Holton with an 11-6, 11-5, 11-3 victory over Jaskolski, and Mark Scott kept them ahead by beating Alan Cherry.

But Vikings hit back and Jaskolski’s winning shot gave them an important victory.

In Division 2, Haddenham A cannot avoid relegation, but had a big 8-2 win over two-man Forum D with maximums for Mark Penn and Malcolm Burr.

Gladiators are all but relegated from Division 3 after they lost 6-4 against Bicester D and Vikings F beat Forum I 7-3.

St James have one hand on the Division 4 title, following their 8-2 win over Bicester E.

RESULTS Division 1: Vikings A 6 (J Sun 3), Holton A 4; Forum B 8 (A Flint 3), RAL 2; Forum B 2, Holton A 8 (E Costa 3, A Misseldine 3); British Rail 6, Forum C 4; Bicester A 10 (J Rigby 3, T Gorman 3, J Tustain 3), Vikings B 0; British Rail 0, Vikings A 10 (P Jaskolski 3, J Sun 3, A Cherry 3).

Division 2: Haddenham A 8 (M Penn 3, M Burr 3), Forum D 2; Vikings C 6, Vikings E 4 (P Borrowdale 3); Vikings A 6 (J Sun 3), Holton A 4; Bicester B 10 (J Abungan 3, V Yang 3, L Sumner 3), Begbroke 0.

Division 3: Bicester D 6 (D Badham 3), Gladiators B 4; Forum I 3, Vikings F 7 (L Fisher 3, H Morgan 3); Forum G 1, Forum F 9 (S Price 3, J Stott 3); Gladiators B 0, Bicester C 10 (J Shardlow 3, M Harrison 3, J Marrs 3).

Division 4: Haddenham B 8 (J Mott 3), Forum L 2; St James 8 (B Ford 3, P Guest 3), Bicester E 2; Holton B 5, Haddenham B 5; Forum J 8 (N Harris 3), Forum K 2.