KIA National Club League; National Division One North: Tennis World ladies have a tough home match on Sunday against the 2003 national champions Holcombe Brook of Bury.

The Lancashire club, also winners in 1993, can boast the highest standard of players collectively of all seven contending teams in the Northern group.

Both they and the Middlesbrough club, plus Northern Manchester, all won their opening fixtures by the same score of 4-2. Tennis World have three very experienced Durham and Cleveland seniors to call upon, namely Lynsey Davison (rated 2.1) sometime world ranked; Libby Fletcher and captain Jo Cunliffe. There are also a number of rapidly improving juniors in the squad, Sophie Proctor and Sarah Harding, for example.

But the Bury club could field four players with ratings well in excess of the TW team led by Irish international Yvonne Doyle with regular British Tour player Julia Lutrova and nationally ranked Alice Mackenzie of Yorkshire as two others.

The Teesside club's men will not have a fixture following the withdrawal of Hull YPL. They stand top of the group after round one with a whitewash if Ilkley behind them. Durham and Cleveland colleagues Esporta Sunderland travel to Manchester to face Northern who have already chalked up one win. The players that have been nominated are largely those who took the club to honours in the North East Premier League which finished last month. Although that winter event was for doubles only, the youthful team is more than capable of producing good form also in singles and includes such as Adam Barratclough, Sean Galpin and Ainsley Kershaw.

The Manchester club, however, has recruited D and C's leading player, Daniel Kiernan ranked 20 in England at singles and two in doubles and two others of national standard namely Richard Crabtree and Justin Layne.

Recent results: Men: Northern Manchester 5, Heaton Bradford 1; Ilkley 0, Tennis World Mboro 6.

National Division Two North

Yarm are attempting to remain in the second division following a struggle last season but this season's group is even tougher with seven teams involved and the Teesside club has already lost at home to Northern of Blackburn. They travel to Chesterfield on Sunday to face an unknown quantity.

County colleagues Shotley and Benfieldside, who were promoted as last season's county champions, are not in action, but likewise lost their opening fixture. Other opponents are Hawkshaw Bury, Neston Wrral and Wrexham.

There are no D and C teams in the corresponding men's competition leaving Jesmond and the NLTSRC in Newcastle to carry the North-East into battle. The other contenders are Barnsley, Hallamshire, Sheffield, Kirkby Stephen and Northern Manchester.

Recent match details: National Division One North women: Tennis World Middlesbrough 4, NLTSRC Newcastle 2.

Lynsey Davison (2.1) bt Kim McCluskie (34.1) 6-4 6-3; Sophie Proctor (3.2) bt Lindsay Rawling (4.1) 6-3 6-4; Jo Cunliffe (4.2_ lost to Cheryl Armstrong (4.1) 4-6 3-6; Sarah Harding (5.1) lost to Jessica ott (5.1) 3-6 4-6; J Cunliffe and L Davison bt C Armstrong and K McCluskie 6-4 6-2; Libby Fletcher (4.2) and S Proctor bt J Lott and L Rawling 6-4 6-7 6-2.

National Division Two North women: Yarm 2, Northern Blackburn 4: Ann Clayton lost to G Atherton 2-6 0-6; Tracy Spears lost to L Cooper 4-6 0-6; Linda Hicks lost to K Barnes 4-6 0-6; Annie Neville bt E Hext 6-0 6-0; A Clayton and T Spears bt G Atherton and K Barnes 6-3 6-4; L Hicks and A Neville lost to L Cooper and A Hext 6-7 0-6.

Shotley and Benfieldside 1, Wrexham 5: Christine Heppell lost to C Rymer 4-6 3-6; Fiona Staines lost to V Basnett 7-6 2-6 2-6; Lesley Winstanley lost to K Roberts 3-6 5-7; Sarah Clarke lost to L Roberts 0-6 2-6; C Heppell and L Winstanley bt K Roberts and C Rymer 6-4 7-5; S Clarke and F Staines lost to V Basnett and L Roberts 4-6 0-6.