Whittlebury Park improved their chances of staying in the Scratch League third division with a battling 4-4 draw at Farthingstone.
Although George Briar (one hole) and Ian Bell (2&1) won the opening two games for the hosts, a couple of 4&3 victories in the middle ties kept Whittlebury level.
A win apiece on the 18th hole maintained the stalemate and although Darren Matthews won game seven with two holes to spare, the visitors clinched a draw by taking the final tie.
The result leaves Priors Hall in trouble after they went down 5½-2½ at Cold Ashby, who look to have found their form after a poor start to the campaign.
Ashby took the opening two games 5&3 but the away team responded with a half for Ryan Genner and a 2&1 victory for Michael Chambers.
Ian Abrahams lost on the closing hole for the Corby club but team-mate Callum Farr was successful on the 18th hole.
It proved to be the last high for Priors however as the hosts recorded a couple of convincing wins in the remaining two matches.
Priors now need to win at Farthingstone by a scoreline of 6-2 in their final outing to guarantee their place in the third tier.
Division 1
Peterborough Milton made it a hat-trick of Scratch League titles in clinical fashion as they thrashed closest rivals Wellingborough 8-0 at home.
With Wellingborough only needing a draw to secure their first championship since 1984, Milton got off to the perfect start as Rory Edwards and Ian Symonds won the opening two ties on the 12th green.
The visitors looked set to reduce the deficit until Peterborough’s Josh Scimeca won four of the last five holes to beat Adam Sherlock down the last.
Richard Cole added another point for the double defending champions, before Tom Burgh sealed the team victory with a birdie two on the 16th hole against Chris Howes.
Chris White held off John Barrett’s fightback to make it 6-0, Adrian Firman walked in with a 3&2 victory under his belt against Kyson Lloyd, before Phil Hughes beat Ryan Connolly on the 18th to confirm the whitewash.
Handicap League
Group D
Defending champions Hellidon Lakes are on the verge of qualifying for the semi-finals after defeating their Group D rivals Farthingstone 15-6 at home.
After taking the first two games by one and two holes respectively, Hellidon strengthened their advantage with a five-hole victory for Paul King and Daniel Harris in the next tie.
Farthingstone, who beat Hellidon 14-5 at home earlier in the season, responded with an excellent six-hole success for Alan Wiffill and Stuart Bates.
It proved to be a false dawn for the visitors as Simon Keyte and Gary Caunt took the next match by three holes, before Michael Canning and Kevin Lovell completed the scoring with a four-hole victory.
Staverton, who face Hellidon both home and away, are now the only team who can realistically catch the 2012 winners, who face a trip to Delapre in their other game.
Intermediate League
First place in Group B remains in the balance after Peterborough Milton completed their campaign by defeating 2012 champions Wellingborough 5-3 at home to move into top spot.
Milton started strongly as they took three of the first four ties and grabbed a half in the other when Martin Humphries got up and down from a bunker on the last hole to finish level with Joe Griffiths.
Although Duncan Cornish bagged Wellingborough’s first point with a convincing 7&6 success, Howard Boylan confirmed the Peterborough victory on the 17th hole.
With Wellingborough still in with a chance of topping the group if they beat Northampton at home in the last match, the half and win for Tim Veal and Roger Butler in games seven and eight respectively could still prove vital.
Ladies Scratch League
Wellingborough remain on track to defend their Scratch League title after making it two wins out of two this season with a 2-1 victory over Staverton Park at Northampton GC.
Although Boro captain Mary MacLaren lost a tight contest with Meghan Liddington down the last, Carol Gibbs and Gill Snelson grabbed points for Wellingborough, who beat Northampton 3-0 in May.
Wellingborough, who hosted the second round of games in June, will take on Northants County in their next match at Staverton Park GC towards the end of August.
Ladies Cecil Leitch
Kingsthorpe have progressed through to the last four of the Ladies Cecil Leitch after topping their division.
They will now face Northants County on Wednesday, August 14 at Overstone Park, while the other semi-final see Northampton take on Whittlebury Park.
Ladies European Tour
Kettering pro Charley Hull strengthened her claims for a Solheim Cup spot after finishing ninth in the Ladies European Masters at The Buckinghamshire GC.
The 17-year-old, who was playing in her home country for the first time as a pro golfer, moved into third position on the 2013 LET Order of Merit after shooting 208.
Competing alongside multi-major winners Karrie Webb and Laura Davies on the first two days, the European Tour rookie eagled her opening hole in a 68, before carding 66 to sit fifth going into the final round.
Although the teenager dropped out of contention after the turn on the last day, she finished in style when she drove the par four 17th hole and then sank the eagle putt from 10 feet.
Hull is competing in the Ladies British Open on the Old Course at St. Andrews from today (Thursday) until Sunday, when the European 12-player team will be announced for the Solheim Cup later this month.
South of England
Northamptonshire’s Ryan Evans just missed out on retaining his South of England title as he had to settle for a share of the runners-up prize at Walton Heath GC.
The defending champion carded rounds of 71, 73, 73 and 72 to finish level with Alasdair Dalgliesh, but three behind Italy’s Riccardo Michelini.
Junior Inter-Club Short Course Championship
Young golfers around the county are being encouraged to form teams of four to play in the Northamptonshire Junior Inter-Club Short Course Championship at Brampton Heath GC on Monday, September 2.
With the 18-hole event open to both boys and girls under the age of 18 at the start of this year, individual clubs are allowed to enter more than one team if necessary.
At an entry fee of £20 per team, which includes burger and chips after the round, anyone interested in competing is advised to call the Pro Shop on 01604 843939 or email golfshop@bhgc.co.uk.
British Par Three Championships
Cold Ashby pro John Chamberlain has booked his place in the Farmfoods British Par 3 Championships at Nailcote Hall GC on August 6-9 after finishing second in the qualifying event.
Chamberlain, who carded a three-under-par round, will now go up against European Tour stars Graeme Storm, Oliver Fisher and Robert Rock, plus legends Tony Jacklin, Ian Woosnam and Sam Torrance.