Valkenswaard United stay on top of the Longines Global Champions League table after the latest leg at Estoril last night, but it was Vienna Eagles who stole the show with a zero score over their four rounds, clinched  by a crucial clear from American Lauren Hough on Waterford, writes Mike Dunne.

It was a welcome win for the Eagles, for whom Danielle Goldstein netted the other double-clear on Czerny N, and it takes them off the bottom rung of the table.

On a blustery evening at the Portuguese venue, young American Emily Moffitt put in two clear rounds for Valkenswaard on Hilfiger van de Olmenhoeve, and while the team qualified for the second round, a fall for John Whitaker, who was competing with Lord of Arabia, relegated them to a share of seventh in the twelve-team contest.

However it was worse for their nearest rivals Monaco Aces who were eliminated in round one after Lisa Nooren also had a fall from VDL Groep Flying Saucer, opening the door for Antwerp Diamonds, who finished third last night, to secure second spot on the leaderboard.

Shanghai Swans took second on the night on a total of five faults, a result which secured seventh place in the standings.

Eleven of the fifteen rounds have now been completed, with Valkenswaard hosting the next leg (7th August), followed by Rome (11th September), Vienna (18th September) and the concluding leg in Doha (5th November).

Standings: 1. Valkenswaard United 256,50; 2. Antwerp Diamonds 251.00; 3. Monaco Aces 249.50; 4. Rome Gladiators 240.50; 5. Cannes Stars 219.00; 6. Paris Jets 208.50; 7. Shanghai Swans 203.00 8. Cascais Charms 199.50; 9. Doha Fursan Qatar 197.00; 10. Miami Glory 193.00; 11. Vienna Eagles 190.50; 12. Madrid in Motion 186.00.

Scoring per round: 1st place 30 points; 2nd place 27 points; 3rd place 25 points; 4th place 23 points; 5th place 20 points; 6th place 19 points; 7th place 18 points; 8th place 17 points; 9th place 16 points; 10th place 15 points; 11th place 14 points; 12th place 13 points.