IS there any stopping Upton Athletic in their bid to win the Premier Division title for the first time in four years?

The likes of Brixham Villa, Watts Blake Bearne and reigning champions Kingskerswell & Chelston will certainly be hoping so, but Upton look to be running away with it at the moment.

Steve Kingscote's charges took advantage of a rare defeat for second-placed Villa to stretch their lead at the summit to 14 points with a 2-1 home victory over Brixham United on Saturday, completing the 'double' over their opponents in the process.

Kingscote only had 11 players available to him – Upton were also depleted when they beat United 3-0 at Wall Park back in October – but their bright start to the game proved enough for them to take all three points.

Andrew Walker bagged a brace inside the opening 22 minutes – the goals were almost identical with the midfielder picking the ball up on the halfway line before charging down the left wing and cutting inside to score from acute angles – and although Richard Whittaker pulled one back 10 minutes before the interval, Upton held on.

That was despite 'carrying' Dan Redhead in the second half as there were no available substitutes to replace the defender when he pulled up with back trouble.

Kingscote said: "It's a brilliant three points – we really dug in."

Although Villa have three games in hand, they have a lot of hard work to do if they are going to topple Upton.

Adam Castle's men went down 3-2 at Ashburton, who remain unbeaten in 2010.

With the score level at 1-1 – Dan Steer had headed the Ashes in front before Ben Adams equalised – Tom Armstrong's first-half penalty miss proved costly as the hosts hit two goals before the interval.

It was Danny Grute who restored the Ashes' lead before Billy Ashton made it 3-1 with a solo effort.

Neil Burnell scored on the hour mark to give Villa some hope but his team wasn't able to use the goal to spark a comeback.

Ashburton player-manager Wayne Clark, whose side's New Year form has also seen them make it through to the George Belli Cup final, said: "We're playing well at the moment and grinding the results out.

"But we're not getting ahead of ourselves – we just want to make sure we stay up. Getting to a cup final is a bonus."

Clark's team are one place above Watts Blake Bearne in fifth but the latter are perhaps the side Upton should fear most in the race for top spot.

Despite being 18 points behind the leaders, Wattsies have enough games in hand to make up that deficit.

But, as joint WBB manager Matt Heyward admits, there's nothing quite like having the points already in the bag.

And Heyward, whose team has to squeeze in 17 league games between now and May, will no doubt be envious of the position Upton find themselves in.

Wattsies kept their hopes of catching Kingscote's men alive with a 6-2 thrashing of Waldon Athletic at Abbrook.

The hosts were 5-0 up within the first 40 minutes.

An own goal set them on their way just 30 seconds in, with the other four goals coming from Nick Cousins – who hit a cracking 15-yard volley into the top corner – Matt Barkwell, Dave Pooley and Tom Sercombe (penalty).

Curtis Booth pulled one back before the interval.

Despite Waldon having most of the play in the second period, Wattsies restored their five-goal advantage when Sercombe tucked away another spot-kick.

Booth grabbed a second goal for the visitors to give them something to show for an encouraging second-half display, although the match ended on a sour note for Waldon as right-back Gary Doyle was sent off after the referee alleged that he had used foul and abusive language towards him.

With Kingskerswell still having to play both Upton and Wattsies twice, and Brixham Villa once, manager Paul Edwards is not giving up hope of defending the championship trophy just yet.

"While everything's still open, we've got to go for it," said Edwards, whose team joined Villa on 26 points, but are behind on goal difference, after Luke Worth grabbed a last-gasp winner against struggling Hele Rovers at Barton Downs.

Despite their contrasting league positions, there had been little to separate the two sides before Worth bent a 20-yard free-kick over the 'wall' and into the back of the net in the final minute.

Hele were thankful that both the teams below them in the table, Totnes & Dartington Reserves and Kingsteignton Athletic, lost.

The Tots had a 'goal' disallowed in the last minute of their match at Abbotskerswell, denying them a share of the spoils.

After going 3-1 down, Totnes rallied late on, with player-boss Darren Fisher pulling it back to 3-2 from the penalty spot ten minutes from time, but Abbots held on.

Paul Sharland had bagged a first-half double, scoring either side of a goal from Tots' James Wotton, for the hosts before Danny Harvey netted what turned out to be the winner midway through the second period.

Harvey's goal was the pick of the bunch – he went past three defenders before smashing into the top corner.

Kingsteignton let the lead slip at home to Galmpton Gents Reserves as they went on to lose 2-1.

Joe Edworthy fired the basement boys in front before efforts from Jon Glasser and Gary Hodge took Galmpton to victory.

Elsewhere, Chagford defeated East Allington United 2-0 in a mid-table clash.

Steve Scott and Robbie Miller were on target for the Moorlanders.