THE top two teams extended their lead at the head of the Prudden Road Surfacing League's Premier Division.

Stratford B and Studley A both enjoyed easy 4-0 victories, while fourth-placed Littletons A had a humdinger of a match at home to Henley A.

Every single rubber went to three sets and the fixture took so long that the floodlight curfew time of 10pm was reached before the match was resolved.

Both sides will now continue play from where they left off with the same players within 14 days.

Sean Witheford and Zak Wilson began well for the hosts with a 6-0 opener before Rob Summers and Richard Butler turned the rubber on its head by reversing that score in the second set.

In the decider, the Littletons pair squeezed out victory after a tie-break.

A similar epic saw Dave Rudge and John Fielder also overcome Dave Howard and Mark Ross 6-1, 3-6, 7-5.

After the change, Rudge and Fielder trailed Summers and Butler 4-6, 6-4, and were 4-2 down but 30-0 up in the seventh game of the final set when the match was interrupted.

Similarly, Witheford and Wilson were leading against Howard and Ross 3-6, 6-4, 3-3 and 40-15, also in the seventh game of their final set, when play was halted.

There were no such problems for Stratford B and their pairing of Callum Bailey and Rob Slatter who disposed of Inkberrow's Graeme Rankin and Andy Woodbridge 6-3, 6-3, before steamrollering Craig Weedon and Mark Rawlings 6-1, 6-0.

Tim Page and Jim Harris had no difficulty beating Weedon and Rawlings 6-0, 6-1 and Rankin and Woodbridge 6-1, 6-4.

Studley A also ran out worthy winners as Chris Francis and Chris Hughes overcame Steve Turner and Ali Kashani 6-2, 6-3 and Nigel Yates and Ian Horton 6-2, 6-1. Dave Innes and Gary Jackson then got the better of Yates and Horton 6-2, 6-2, and Turner & Kashani by the same score.

Other result - Stratford C 4, Stratford D 0: George Goodman & Richard Monk bt Tom Inns & Simon Jarvis 7-5, 7-6 & Chris Cottrell and Phil Hodges 6-4, 6-4. Gary Scruby & Felix Adler bt Cottrell & Hodges 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 & Inns & Jarvis 4-6, 6-2, 6-2.

Claverdon stay top of the first division after a 4-0 win over Littletons B while all the other teams marked time with 2-2 draws. Nigel Bacon and Pieter Van-Hengel (Claverdon) struggled to overcome John Fielder and Mark Hubbard 7-5, 7-5, but then eased past Graham Lawrence and Steve Stevens 6-2, 6-1.

Richard Butler and Mark Bradley found it plain sailing as they glided past Lawrence and Stevens 6-1, 6-2, and stormed away from Bacon and Van-Hengel 6-2, 6-0.

Second-placed Pershore found the going tougher than expected against rejuvenated Bidford A.

While Robin Holbrook and Andy Poppleton gave Pershore expected points against Simon Price and Paul Bruner (6-4, 6-4).

Teammates John Alexander and Steve Merrick, meanwhile, lost surprisingly to Matt Saunders and Andy Cox 2-6, 6-4, 3-6.

After the change Alexander and Merrick managed to beat Price and Bruner 6-2, 6-3, but Pershore's second pair went down as Holbrook and Poppleton lost to Saunders and Cox 2-6, 2-6.

Other results - Inkberrow B 2, Chipping Campden A 2: Mark Kirkbride & Rolf Wilson (Campden) bt Pete Richardson & Jim Forsyth 6-1, 5-7, 7-5, & Barry Oddy & Christian Duplan 6-7, 6-2, 6-4. Ken Dawson & Jard Coombe lost to Oddy & Duplan 2-6, 4-6, & Richardson & Forsyth 2-6, 6-4, 3-6.

Tanworth-in-Arden 2, Aston Cantlow 2: Wilf Chan & Robert Poknall (Cantlow) bt Phil Wells & Steve Littlechild 6-2, 6-3, & Ian Phillips & Andy Fitchford 7-5, 6-0. Greg Reeves & Stuart Millman (Cantlow) lost to Phillips & Fitchford 6-7, 6-4, 4-6 & Wells & Littlechild 4-6, 7-5, 1-6.

Evesham remain top of Division Three despite having no match as Littleton C drew at Ilmington, while Shipston won a mid-table clash with Bidford B 3-1.

The battle at the bottom saw newcomers Henley B and Moreton-in-the-Marsh share the spoils - a result that allowed Henley to pick up their first points of the season.