DUNNINGTON Squash Club have been crowned Yorkshire Premier League champions for the third time - and they did it in emphatic fashion as they wheeled out their big guns to give Hallamshire a hammering.

The east York club regained the crown they last won in 2015 with two matches to spare, with second-placed Pontefract 1’s defeat to Queens Club in Halifax rubber-stamping their triumph.

Nine of their 14 wins this season came with a dominant 5-0 scoreline - far and away the highest total in the division - and that is how they sealed the title, with a 20-0 whitewash of their Sheffield-based opponents.

Dunnington’s title had looked inevitable for several weeks, but they took no chances against Hallamshire, fielding world number 44 Chris Simpson and number 55 Richie Fallows at the top of the order.

It made for a short night for spectators as all five home players won in straight games.

Ed Shannon kicked off the rout by stuffing Hallamshire number five Sam Davey and Gareth Lumsdon conceded just 12 points to teenager Dylan Martens, while Julian Tomlinson also dispatched Dan Lawrence with minimal fuss at number three.

Dunnington's season has gone from strength to strength since they lost their opening fixture of the winter campaign 3-2 at Chapel Allerton 1, seemingly cruising to victory in all but two of their matches in the first half of the campaign.

Their only other league defeat of the season, going down 3-2 at Barnsley in January, did create a degree of consternation for Dunnington as it opened the door a crack for their title rivals.

However, the return of Simpson from the Tournament of Champions in New York bolstered the team and helped them get back on track with a 4-1 demolition of Queens.

The manner in which they effortlessly steamrollered lowly Hull & East Riding the week after truly restored belief that their push for the title was unstoppable, and the three subsequent wins have rendered the remaining two games a formality for the reinstated champions.