HELLENIC LEAGUE: FAIRFORD and Highworth continue to slug it out on the periphery of the Premier Division title race after both clubs picked up maximum points at the weekend.

Fairford moved up to seventh with their fourth successive win, thumping Shortwood 5-2, while Highworth were made to work harder than expected in a 1-0 triumph at Almondsbury to keep them a place behind their local rivals in the table.

Adam Giles pounced in the 75th minute to hand Highworth victory in their first league fixture of 2004. He stooped to head home Matt Jack's free-kick with 15 minutes to go. The striker should have made it 2-0 but fired over from point-blank range late on.

Highworth boss John Fisher said: "Almondsbury were more route one than I expected and it was nervy until Adam scored. But we got the three points and that keeps us in there with the other top sides."

Elsewhere in the Premier, Southall left Rylands Way with three points as former Welsh international Michael Meaker proved to be Wootton Bassett's downfall.

The Bassett back four kept Meaker quiet for the majority of the first half and Dave Jones also had the chance to give Bassett the lead but was denied by Southall keeper Ben Miles.

Meaker finally broke the deadlock on 31 minutes after a long ball pierced the Bassett defence and the forward blasted past youngster Steve Bizley between the sticks.

Bizley denied the dangerous Meaker on a number of occasions and Bassett seemingly pinched a point four minutes from time when substitute Ben Gascoyne latched onto a through ball and chipped past Miles.

But Meaker cruelly denied the hosts a minute later, taking the ball around the Bassett defence and finishing coolly.

Division One West leaders Purton are still unbeaten after a 3-2 win over Harrow Hill at the Red House. Alan Clark's men trailed 1-0 to Carl Woodruffe's goal at half-time.

But they hit back with headers from Tom Dingle and Jenny Hawkins after the restart and substitute Mitchell Wyatt scored on his debut before Woodruffe pulled one back at the death.