David Sherwood and Daniel Kiernan, the North-East's leading doubles players of Yorkshire and Durham/Cleveland respectively, ranked first and seventh in Britain, will no doubt send warning signals out to the rest of the competitors in the 16-team Northern and Southern Division of the NEPL as they have been acquired by the Queens Halifax Club for this season.

Most teams will be relying on the squads they fielded last season, which must set up Queens as one of the favourites. The Sunderland Racquets Club in Doxford Park, now playing as Esporta Sunderland, will be hard pressed in defending their North-East title. They will still have Adam Barratclough and Ainsley Kershaw who had an outstanding season last time plus brothers Sean and Guy Galpin, Graeme Foreman and Nathan Lundy.

Tennis World Middlesbrough have kept the same regulars as runners-up in 2002-2003, namely Nigel Beavers and Mark Franklin, a leading D and C county partnership, veterans John Hudson and Nigel Garton, plus Kevin Rudd and Richard Love. Their first fixture is at home to North Yorkshire.

This team is an amalgam of players from three local clubs which do not have indoor courts and thus play all matches away. Great Ayton, Nunthorpe and Yarm have provided Mike Dixon, Michael Hall, Charles Hingley, Steven Preston, Kevin Rowley and Ian Spears.

Yarm have withdrawn and David Lloyd Newcastle have taken their place. They are at home to David Lloyd Teesside in their opening contest, their visitors taking a top four spot in the Northern Division last time.

The Academy at Harrogate have always been strong contenders in the four years of the event, which is designed to offer high standard close season play for county and national standard players. But on this occasion they will have no place, though their two principals David Drake and Doug Keen, both highly rated and very successful as Yorkshire county seniors, will be turning out for Ripon, at which the former is head coach. Andy Hutchinson and Nick Fitzpatrick, both from Ilkley, will be team colleagues.

Ripon will start against Esporta Sunderland, while another new entry is the Next Generation Centre in York. Their team has an international flavour with South Africa's M Bernard and Australia's Greg Whitecross involved.

The Wearside club has slipped in two seasons not able to obtain any main outside players and rely on a group of locals, Graham Fowler, Graeme Clarkson, Stephen Baker and Ian Lumley with Joe Valks a new addition.

Competition certain the North half should be quite close but whether Esporta can repeat their success is uncertain with NG York and Ripon likely to figure strongly. Which ever team wins the south division, always likely to produce the North-East champions, might have the last laugh with Sheffield a consistent top side and now usually lowly Queens boosted by Yorkshire's nationally ranked Richard Crabtree and Andrew Banks as well as the former world doubles champions at 14 and under, Kiernan and Sherwood.

North Division: David Lloyd Newcastle, David Lloyd Teesside, Esporta Sunderland, Next Generation York, North Yorkshire, Puma Sunderland, Ripon, Tennis World Middlesbrough

South Division: Batley, Carnegie Leeds, David Lloyd Leeds, Doncaster, Hull YPL, Lancashire Racquets Middleton, Queens Halifax, Sheffield.