The second showdown between A league leaders Swallows and Ravens saw Swallows again emerge on top but the 3-2 result was a narrower margin than the last meeting.

Spectators who flocked to the National Stadium for an exciting match on Saturday were not disappointed by this tightly fought battle.

Swallows opened play with constant pressure on the Ravens defence and the relentless attacking soon paid off when Kirstie Kelly slammed away the first goal.

Ravens kept their composure, however, and answered back with pressure of their own, scoring late in the first half when an Emily Black shot was deflected by a Swallows defender over her own goalkeeper. Ravens very quickly added a second goal when Caroline Black converted from a short corner.

Hannah Ellison pulled Swallows back even before the break, when she calmly slipped a ball along the goal line for Shelley Lahti to finish off.

A tense second half saw both sides struggling to break the deadlock. Swallows opted to switch their goalkeeper in order to bring one more player in on attack. The move paid dividends as Yvonne Slattery neatly converted a short corner to extend the Swallows commanding lead at the top of the table.

In other A play, Cardinals picked up a much needed 4-0 victory over Swifts. Cardinals dominated play throughout the match, allowing Swifts the opportunity to drive at the defence on only a handful of occasions. Laurel Powell opened the scoring in the first half for Cards while Patricia Holder was on hand to score both the second and third goals from the left hand post. Maria Pichery rounded out the scoring by coolly slotting home a one-on-one with the Swifts goalkeeper.

Bluebirds also picked up a 5-1 win over Canaries.

In the B league matches, Swallows earned a 2-1 win over Ravens. The first half was a scoreless affair but Kim Stevens and Mel O?Brien stepped up in the second to put away two goals. In the dying minutes Liz Gardner found an answering goal for Ravens but it was too late for a rally.

Swallows picked up an additional three points with 2-1 win over Orioles. Jess Greenslade and Karen Campbell each hit the mark for Swallows and while Orioles managed only to smack one score in on a goalmouth scramble.

Meanwhile, Cardinals and Swifts B teams battled to a scoreless draw while Canaries collected a 1-0 win over Bluebirds.

In Men?s play, Chameleons again climbed to the top of the table with a 4-1 win over Rebels under the lights on Sunday night. First blood went to the Rebels, who took the lead with a nicely worked short-corner resulting in Bert Rodney striking cleanly into the net.

But pressure down the right side of the field led to defensive errors from Rebels, earning Chameleons five short corners in the first half alone.

Chameleons pounced on these opportunities ? converting four of five. First captain Bill Spencer slipped right to Mark Finnigan who calmly struck his shot home.

Spencer took the strike on a second successful routine himself, driving the ball through Rebels keeper Andrew Frith. A third conversion saw Tim Goodyear flick the ball home.

And Pete Illston converted their fifth short corner by slotting home a Finnigan-driven shot.

Play slowed in the second half and the scoreline held to pull the Reds to the top of the table with 19 points.

Chameleons two chief competitors for top spot ? Upstarts and Panthers ? battled to a 2-2 draw, leaving them tied for second place with 17 points apiece.