TABLE-TOPPERS Aberdour extended their advantage at the top of Marine Harvest South Division One despite being held at home last Saturday.

Lisa MacColl’s team were forced to settle for a point despite twice leading against visitors Bute but the result moved them three points clear over second-placed Lochside Rovers.

With ‘Dour’s promotion rivals in cup action, the game at Silver Sands presented an opportunity to apply more pressure in the title race and the made a good start against the Islanders.

There were just 10 minutes on the clock when David MacKenzie’s low shot gave them the lead, but Bute hit back just seven minutes later through Franco Devlin.

An entertaining start produced a third goal midway through the half when the impressive Alex Mitchell picked out MacKenzie from a well-worked free hit to score his and the hosts’ second of the afternoon.

Aberdour had chances to extend their advantage before the break but those near misses came back to haunt them as Bute levelled for a second time after half-time.

The visitors, with the wind in their favour and playing down the slope, came back into the match and Devlin’s shot from wide went past the unsighted Tom Bowerman in goal as the spoils were shared.

Aberdour have now played four games more than Lochside and the teams were due to meet this weekend in a top-of-the-table clash, but that has been put back due to Rovers having cup commitments.

When the game does take place however, MacColl feels it’s one her team must win, commenting: “If we want to win the title, I think we have to take both points and we need them to drop points elsewhere, which is a big ask.

“It will give us a closer insight as to whether it’s still there for us. We’ve sat top for the last two or three weeks so you could say that we’re in the driving seat; it becomes a bit psychological and teams know they have to win to overtake us.

“We’ve only lost two games this season, so we’ve been fairly consistent, and I hope we can keep it going. We’ll just have to wait and see.”

Meanwhile, the club is hoping to find the stars of the future when they open their doors for free summer roadshows today.

The weekly event, which will take place from 9.30-10.30am every Sunday until August 13, will take place at Silver Sands and is open to anyone from Primary 1-7 who are either beginners or experienced players.

Qualified coaches and volunteers will be on hand to provide coaching on basic skills like hitting, ball control, tackling and shies, providing an ideal way to learn a new, fast, exciting and safe sport, while making new friends.

Anyone interested in attending should bring a packed lunch, juice/water, boots and shin guards if they have them, while all other equipment such as sticks and helmets will be provided.

Participants can just turn up or contact aberdourshintyclub@gmail.com or 07876703951.