CHAMPIONS in waiting IT Sports Wigginton face a month's break before closing on the first ever Yorkshire Squash league premier division title for a York team.

The runaway leaders signed off their threequarter-term break with a 4-1 conquest of Leeds-based outfit Chapel Allerton to put them within touching distance of the championship in only their second campaign at such an exalted level.

Undefeated now for more than a year, IT Sports have just four matches left and hold an near-unassailable lead over their nearest rivals, but they are refusing to count any championship chickens just yet.

Declared captain Matt Lowery: "It's a great position to be in where your fate is in your own hands.

"I wouldn't want to say that we have won it yet, but the way we are playing at the moment it's hard to see who is going to beat us."

Player-manager, and major sponsor, Ian Tooms echoed the reserve. He told the Evening Press: "Everyone is doing their bit and it has been a tremendous couple of seasons to get where we are in such a small space of time.

"They club is very ambitious, but the important thing is that we don't get blown away by the whole experience.

"There are still a lot of good teams out there who are going to be gunning for us, so we are just going to take it one game at a time."

The latest to feel the Wigginton whip-hand were Chapel Allerton, who were on the back-foot as soon as Tooms shook off the effects of a heavy cold to topple arch-rival Ian Cawthorne 3-1 in the opener.

Playing at number four, newly-crowned York champion Jamie Hopwood won by a similar margin over Neil McKinnon, while, next up, veteran Duncan Walsh rallied from 2-0 down to beat American professional Bo Rivers 3-2.

Another sterling comeback was staged by Wigginton's Irish international Jon Rooney to dispose of Leeds University student Sam Miller by the odd game in five before the only blemish marking the IT Sports card when number one Paul Hargrave had to retire while trailing 2-1 to Chris Ryder.

Wigginton's next outing is in defence of the Yorkshire Cup on March 13 when they will be at home to Queens of Halifax as they strive to inch closer to a silverware double.

Updated: 10:37 Saturday, March 01, 2003