ALNWICK cut Bamburgh's lead to just three points after round 13 of the Kaims Country Park North Northumberland Golf League matchplay championship and could take the battle for the title right to the wire.

They made up three points on the leaders by winning 11-1 at Belford while Bamburgh won 8-4 at Rothbury, the home side staving off what could have been a heavy defeat by winning the final two games.

Third-placed Berwick A maintained their outside chance of taking the title following a 10-2 home victory over Alnmouth Village.

But at the end of the night they still trailed Bamburgh by nine points and Alnwick by six and clearly have it all to do to overtake their rivals.

The top teams all have three games to play.

Last year's champions Linden Hall, fielding a much-changed team, had probably their best win of the season, beating Magdalene Fields B 11-1 to go fourth in the table ahead of Alnmouth who continued their winning run, defeating Seahouses 10-2 over the Foxton Hall course.

Results:
Belford 1 Alnwick 11

J Young lost to J Eggleston 6 and 5; F Tait lost to J Crilley 2 and 1; K Greshon halved with A Tate; G Hulley lost to D Harrison 2 and 1; D Greshon lost to J Storey 4 and 2; I Charlton lost to W Belisle 1down.
Alnmouth 10 Seahouses 2

M Kilmister beat J Hogg 1up; L Kilmister beat SJ Priestley 5 and 4; H Sutherland beat A Holmes 1up; D Hawkins beat C Taylor 5 and 4; W Lawn halved with R Ritchie; D Appleby halved with G Pearson.
Wooler 4 Burgham Park 8

S Lowrey lost to G Dodd 1down; D Wilkinson beat J Bone 3 and 2; G Carr lost to D Littlewood 6 and 5; P Routledge lost to C Mackenzie 3 and 2; B Tait beat D Robinson 4 and 3; S Moy lost to C Johnson 3 and 2.
Rothbury 4 Bamburgh 8

J Egen lost to P Sanderson 4 and 3; M Clements lost to J Moffet 5 and 3; M Arkle lost to C Brown 1down; D Hulme lost to M Dawson 4 and 3; AT Oliver beat J Porteous 2 and 1; PA Arkle beat P Lorraine 2 and 1.
Magdalene Fields A 11 Percy Wood 1

S Jackson beat M Dodd 5 and 4; JW Blackie halved with A Nicklen; M Neil beat L Nicklen 3 and 1; L Eyre beat J Taylor 5 and 4; I Neil beat J Nicholls 6 and 4; P Moffat beat D Finlay 2 and 1.
Linden Hall 11 Magdalene Fields B 1

S Johnstone beat P Richardson 2 and 1; S Hornsby beat A Marshall 4 and 3; J Smiles halved with N McLachlan; R Robinson beat G Young 2up; T Michie beat N Deary 3 and 2; B Guy beat K Nesbit 4 and 3.
Berwick A 10 Alnmouth Village 2

P Swinney beat K Shotton 3 and 2; A Potts beat K Armstrong 2 and 1; G Greenaway beat C Wass 5 and 3; S McCreadie beat A Stanton 4 and 3; A Rodger beat J Jobson 2 and 1; A Christensen lost to N Holden 4 and 2.
Dunstanburgh 9 Berwick B 3

M Carss beat I Smith 6 and 4; G Stephenson halved with A Terras; J Stevenson beat A Potts 5 and 4; N Cairns lost to G Campbell 2 and 1; A McGrady beat M Wilson 3 and 2; J Carss beat R McCulloch 4 and 3.