Harrogate and District Tournament: Five former winners of the men's title will be battling for supremacy this season.

Defending champion Doug Keen, an American pastor based in Harrogate, has been seeded No 1 for the event which is being held at Harrogate Racquets Club, Firs Road from June 8-14.

Keen, whose tennis talents were developed in America, has twice won the event. And since moving to Harrogate in recent years Keen has made his mark on the regional tennis scene.

The tournament's international flavour is maintained by the entry of Philippe Bourgeois, who like Keen is a member of Harrogate's Academy.

Bourgeois was winner in 1999 and 2000.

Richard Whiteley, also from The Academy, was the last local player to win the event in 1998 and has captured the trophy on four occasions.

The Academy dominance of the men's event continues with twice champion David Whitelaw and also competing will be Trevor Nuttall (Harrogate Racquets) winner in 1982 and 1988.

Organisers are delighted by a strong entry in the men's singles. But once again - in common with most tournaments - the women's entry is disappointing.

And it looks as if top-seeded Sophie Jacob, who has won the event for the past six seasons on the trot, will be adding another success this term.

Jacob, who first won the women's singles as a Birstwith player in 1997, now plays under the Harlow banner.

A field of 80 players will be competing, almost the same as last year.

Slazenger Harrogate and District League

Spa came a cropper in Division One, suffering their first defeat of the season after a bright start in Division One.

They went down to Harrogate Racquets second team 8.5-0.5.

Spa's splutter came as they were forced to field three women reservists in their line up. But Spa remain third in the table on five points - the same number as Harlow and Boroughbridge above them.

Match scores - Harrogate Racquets A 8.5 Spa 0.5 (Harrogate names first): Simon Iles and Helen Rhodes beat Rob Dearing and Jenny Fisher 6-4, 6-3; halved with Carel Dutoit and Frances Liu 6-6; beat Tom Bentley and Carrie Larn 6-2, 6-3.

Dominic Crowther and Yvonne Richards beat Dearing and Fisher 6-5, 6-5; beat Dutoit and Liu 6-4, 6-2; beat Bentley and Larn 6-2.

John Tindall and Jackie McBurney beat Dearing and Fisher 6-4; beat Dutoit and Liu 6-2, 6-4; beat Bentley and Larn 6-2, 6-2.

Bedale are finding life tough in Division One. The side promoted as champions from Division Two suffered their fourth defeat on the bounce, going down 7.5-1.5 at home to Harrogate Racquets first team.

Bedale, who have become something of a yo-yo side, had few answers to their rivals, the only clear-cut success coming when Mark Scarlett and and Helen Broadwith combined to beat Oliver Scaife and ex Wimbledon player Pauline Edwards 6-2.

Bedale, who are bottom of Division One, are the only side without points in the top flight.

Meanwhile Racquets were led to success by husband and wife paring Jonathan and Gillian Smail, who rattled off a hat-trick of victories without dropping a set.

Match scores - Bedale 1.5 Harrogate Racquets 7.5 (Harrogate names first): Jonathan Smail and Gillian Smail beat Mark Scarlett and Helen Broadwith 6-0, 6-1; beat Paul Swain and Althea Draper 6-1, 6-2; beat Matthew Alcock and Sally-Anne Murray 6-0.

Oliver Scaife and Pauline Edwards lost to Scarlett and Broadwith 2-6; halved with Swain and Draper 1-6, 6-5; beat Alcock and Murray 6-3, 6-0.

John Hargreaves and Fritz Brown beat Scarlett and Broadwith 6-3, 6-2; beat Swain and Draper 7-5; beat Alcock and Murray 6-1, 6-2.

Division One: Bedale 1.5 Harrogate Racquets 7.5; Harrogate Racquets A 8.5 Spa 0.5.

Division Two: Harlow B 5.5 Dacre 3.5; Knaresborough 2.5 Harlow A 6.5.

Division Three: Ripon 8 Masham 1.

Division Four: Northallerton A 7.5 Harrogate Racquets C 1.5; Wetherby A 5.5 Harlow D 3.5.

Division Five: Thirsk B 7.5 Birstwith 1.5; Spa A 8 Masham A 1.

Division Six: Bedale B 6.5 Knaresborough B 2.5; Birtswith A 7 Burton Leonard 2; Harrogate Racquets D 8 Spa B 1.

Yorkshire Women's League

Newly-promoted Harrogate side Harlow kick started their First Division season a convincing victory over big guns Ilkley.

Harlow won the rain-hit match 5-1, giving them a confidence-boosting start for the tough season ahead.

Harlow pipped Huddersfield for the Division Two title last season.

The Harrogate side's skipper Julie Bradley is aiming to repeat her success last season because of her careful fixture planning to avoid players' holidays.

She said fielding her best team at every opportunity was a major factor in winning promotion.

Match scores - Ilkley 1 Harlow 5 (Harlow names first): S Jacob and G Smail beat A Perry and G Jackson 6-1 6-1; beat C Sellars and R Marshall 6-3 6-4.

G Wright and J Bradley halved with Sellars and Marshall 6-2 6-7; beat C Lindsay and B Bourdon 6-3 7-5.

R Carter and P Knight beat Perry and Jackson 6-3 6-2; halved with Lindsay and Bourdon 6-0 3-6.

Barkston Ash League

Latest highlight was newly-promoted Castleford's 56 games to 52 win over Bardsey in Division One.

The match produced some closely-fought battles but the established Bardsey side were unable to prevent a surprise defeat.

Division One: Roundhay 59 Castleford 49; Horsforth A 74 Collingham A 34; Castleford 56 Bardsey 52; Collingham A 35 Whitkirk A 73

Division Two: Boston Spa 63 Copmanthorpe 45; Cliffe 56 Boston Spa 52; Selby 55 Whitkirk C 53; Whitkirk C 63 Copmanthorpe 45.

Division Three: Sherburn 58 Whitkirk D 50; Horsforth B 49 David Lloyd 59; Alwoodley 69 Barwick B 39; Collingham B 49 Whitkirk D 59.

Men: Whitkirk 79 Horsforth 29; Bardsey 80 Thorner 28.