REIGNING champions Rodwell laid down the gauntlet to fellow high-fliers Rendezvous by beating them 4-1 at the Marsh to leapfrog them at the summit of the Premiership.

The Rendezvous entered the contest with an unblemished record of six wins from six in all competitions but it was Rodwell that deserved to edge this entertaining contest, which saw Olly Stanton net twice in the last 15 minutes to wrap up the three points.

The title-holders kept possession superbly in the opening exchanges and duly took the lead on 20 minutes when Steve Coombes thundered home a half-volley from 18 yards.

However, they had to wait until 10 minutes after the break before they extended their lead through Darren Samways, who side-footed home after Stanton’s cut back from the byline.

To their credit the Rendezvous responded with a close-range strike from Chris Skinner before a goal-line clearance by Adam Laing denied them a certain equaliser.

That proved the key moment in the game as just minutes later Stanton bagged Rodwell a killer third after a fine cross from Roger Boyd.

Stanton then completed his brace with a rebound to add a bit of gloss to the scoreline as the Rendezvous began to come to terms with their first defeat of the campaign.

The Duke of Albany’s six-game winning streak came to an end in a 2-1 defeat against Tuatara.

The second-placed Duke, who also lie just one point behind Rodwell, took the lead when Dean Williams put through Kev Lowe, who finished with aplomb, but the T-Bar soon levelled when Danny Dancer netted from the spot after a foul on Andy Graham.

The winner did not arrive until 18 minutes before the end when a long throw from Tom Grattidge saw man-of-the-match Phil Anderson head home from 15 yards out.

Fourth-placed Britannia put the previous week’s defeat against Rendezvous behind them by running out 2-0 winners against Snookes at the Piggery.

Terry Oldrid, making his first appearance of the season, was the hero with two late goals.

The Chickerell United player-coach broke the deadlock on 86 minutes by poking home Stu Burley’s knock down before going on and sealing the three points with another clinical finish from Shane Sheridan’s unselfish lay-off.

The Brit thoroughly deserved the vic-tory, particularly after hitting the woodwork three times in the first half through a long-range effort from Burley and two attempts by Grant Chance.

Danny Andrews bagged four as Weyline battered Bar 314 in a sensational victory at the Marsh.

Mark Shawcross put the visitors ahead on 10 minutes with a calm lob over Ant Luque from 20 yards but once Andrews levelled 18 minutes later through a neat volley from close range the tables completely turned.

By half-time, Weyline boasted a 4-1 lead with Andrews bagging a second and Dean O’Callaghan and Connor Wardlaw also getting on the scoresheet.

Bar 314 tried to respond at the start of the second period but they had no answer to Weyline’s dominance as they ran in four more goals without reply.

Andrews completed his hat-trick before ex-Bar 314 winger Craig Wells added more insult to injury with a far-post volley.

A fourth for Andrews then followed but it was left to Wardlaw to complete the 8-1 success with a fine diving header from Wells’ pin-point cross.

Quayside continue to top the pile in the Championship following an 11-0 destruction of the Golden Lion.

Matt Brown waded in with four goals, Sanchez Baker and Darren Long both claimed hat-tricks, while Anthony Crane grabbed the other.

Quayside sit two points clear of the Alex and the John Gregory, who occupy second and third respectively.

John Gregory stretched their unbeaten run to eight games by beating Market House 4-2.

The Southill outfit, who have now won their last five, went two up in the first half through Joe Djeebet and Liam Puckett but after the break a stunning strike from 30 yards reduced the arrears.

A fine effort from substitute Mark Stamp then calmed John Gregory’s nerves before Dan Cooke added a fourth to finally put the game beyond their battling opponents, who did grab another consolation late on.

Elsewhere in the division, there was a fantastic 2-0 win for SAS over Old Castle.

Rob Golsby and Sam Haynes both hit the woodwork for SAS before Charlie May eventually broke the deadlock with a trademark finish.

The club’s leading scorer then grabbed his 10th of the campaign after a top-class lay-off from Sam Moors to wrap up the result before half-time.

Premiership: Rodwell 4 Rendezvous 1, Britannia 2 Snookes 0, T-Bar 2 Duke of Albany 1, Weyline 8 Bar 314 1, New Inn 2 Railway Tavern 2.

Championship: Quayside 11 Golden Lion 0, The Dolphin 3 Broadmayne 1, John Gregory 4 Market House 2, The Rock 2 Old Ship Inn 2, Medics Away 2 The Alex 6, SAS 2 Old Castle 0.