Abu Dhabi: Hang-Tin Chiu overcame a shaky finish to again be the low scoring arrowhead as Chinese Taipei remained on target to end an 18-year title drought at the 27th Nomura Cup today.

Last champions of the biennial Asia-Pacific Amateur Golf Team Championship in Hong Kong in 1997, Chinese Taipei will sleep uncomfortably on a lead trimmed from five strokes to three by eight-time winners Japan during today’s third round at Yas Links Abu Dhabi.

Saturday is traditionally moving day in a 72-hole golf tournament and so it proved with much nervy drama down the stretch and snakes and ladders action on the leaderboard.

Chinese Taipei lead on 622 to Japan’s 625 but made no progress in the third round, remaining 25 under par overall after Chiu’s one-under 71 and Yung-Hua Liu’s 72 was cancelled out by a 73 from Chun-An Yu. For the second successive day Sun-Yi Lu carded Chinese Taipei’s non-counting score, a 75, in a format where a team’s three lowest scores count towards each day’s total.

Singapore leapfrogged into third place on 636, 13 shots off the pace, while New Zealand (637) and Australia (638) round out the top five heading into a final round which promises much tension, especially on the last three tricky, water-fringed holes of Yas Links challenging back nine.

South Korea, who have been conspicuous by their absence atop the leaderboard this week, made the greatest progress on moving day, Jae Kyeoung Lee’s best of the day 66 and a four-under 68 from Sung-ho Yun propelling them into three way share of sixth place alongside China and Thailand. Thailand slid out of the bronze medal position with a disappointing five over aggregate for round three.

Chiu actually extended his lead atop the individual leaderboard by a shot, moving to 203, -13, to head China’s Cheng Jin and Japan’s Daisuke Matsubara by three strokes. But a scrappy finish from the Chinese Taipei No.1 will give Jin and Matsubara great hope, not to mention Matsubara’s teammates in the all-important teams’ competition.

Chinese Taipei’s non-playing captain Tim Sung admitted the pressure had got to his young side but believes they have the mettle to win down the stretch tomorrow. “The team score was even par today so fortunately we are still leading, but only by three shots and three shots for a team championship is nothing, maybe one hole it is wiped out,” said Sung who was also captain when Chinese Taipei last won in Hong Kong 18 years ago.

“They just have to play their own [game] and keep on playing. The front nine, I think some holes are pretty easy so we need to have some birdies there otherwise the back nine we’ll be under risk because 16, 17, 18 are pretty dangerous holes. If we would make under par tomorrow, say 210, six under par, that would be good.”

The leading teams tee off at 10.30pm on Sunday.