Daniel Kiernan, Durham and Cleveland's leading male player, from near Consett, reached the semi-finals in last week's circuit tournament in Corby.

The 22-year-old was second seed but failed to find a way past Michael Ouvarov, seeded three who went on to take the title.

The Derwentsider, who only returned to the UK at the turn of the year after four years in America had defeated a qualifier in round two. His next opponent was county colleague Adam Barratclough from Sunderland, some four years younger and rated at 1.4 nationally. Kiernan has a world ranking with position 31st on the British order of merit.

The quarter-final was taken 6-3 6-4 by Kiernan, but the Londoner stopped him in the semis by the same score.

Barratclough came through a tough second round with Euan Bulger of Hertfordshire in three sets.

Yorkshire's Jason Torpey, a team player with David Lloyd Stockton this winter in the Brown Shipley League, was seeded four and made the semis, but went out to top seed Oliver Feelove of Kent. He had previously seen off players from Yorkshire and Wales.

In the women's singles, Lynsey Davison - the second highest ranked Durham and Cleveland female player - from Nunthorpe reached yet another quarter-final in a Hastings Tour tournament.

Once more she knocked out a higher ranked player - Anna White of Dorset, the British number 34, and the eighth seed.

This was in straight acts, but the Teessider was then removed by the second seed Nicole Rencken of South Africa by 6-2 7-5. Little-known Croatian Matea Mezak was the surprise winner of the title, beating British number two Julie Pullin in the final. Yorkshire's Rebecca Fong, unseeded, made the last four.

Results: Men's singles: final - M Ouvarov (Mid) beat 0 Freelovo (Ke) 7-6 2-6 7-6, semi-finals - Freelove beat Jason Torpey (Yor) 4-6 6-2 6-2. Ouvarov beat Daniel Kiernan (D&C) 6-3 64; quarter finals - Freelove beat S Roberts (Lan) 6-3 6-2. Torpey beat I Flanagan (WAL) 6-3 6-2. Ouvarov beat T Burn (Sur) 6-3 6-1, Kiernan beat Adam Barratclough (D&C) 6-

3 6-4. round two - Barratclough beat E Bulger (Her) 5-7 6-4 6-2, Kiernazi beat 0 Johnstone 6-4 6-1.

Women's singles: final - M Mezak (CRO) beat J Pullin (Sus) 6-4 6-3; Semi-finals - Pullin beat Rebecca Fong (Yor) 6-16-1. Mezak beat N Rencken (RSA) 6-4 6-2. Quarter-finals - Pullin beat E Thomas 6-0 6-3. Fong beat K Paterson (SCO) 6- 2 6-1, Mezak beat K Baker (Her) 6-3 6-1, Rercken boat Lynsey Davison (D&C) 6-2 7-5, Round two - Davison beat A White (Dor) 6-3 6-4. Round one - Davison beat A Cox (Dev) 6-16-3.

* Tennis World Middlesbrough defeated Sheffield, and Invicta Sunderland gained a walkover from Queens Halifax in last weekend's quarter-finals of the play-off between the top four in each of the North and South Divisions of the league.

But David Lloyd Stockton and Academy Harrogate were knocked out by Carnegie Leeds and David Lloyd Leeds respectively.

North Division champions Invicta had the easiest passages into the semi-finals as Queens, fourth in the southern group, were unable to field a full team. Tennis World, meanwhile, second in North, had a very comfortable home success against Sheffield, in a repeat of last year's regional final.

Nigel Beavers and Mark Franklin, a Durham and Cleveland county pair, and Sean Damer and Andrew Deeley, a Northumberland/Yorkshire combination, lost no sets in the 4-0 win.

David Lloyd Leeds, the south division champions, ousted the Academy by 3-1. Harrogate's top couple David Drake and Doug Keen, gave the team a good start against the Leeds' club second couple, but only in three sets.

Their own seconds went down in straight sets.

It was imperative for Academy to take both second-half rubbers, being down three sets to two with the first half rubbers shared.

Keen and Drake fought hard against Ben Riby and Bliaskar Kumar to preserve their unbeaten record this season, but ultimately failed to do so. And as Academy was also going down in the number two contest a result was beyond them.

David Lloyd Stockton, who were quietly confident, played Carnegie at South Leeds, and shared the first-half rubbers with first pair Ben O'Connor, a Teessider, and Jason Torpey, from South Yorkshire, winning.

Their opponents were a quartet of regional performance squad members, with Suffolk's Jeremy Cowley and Northumberland's Graeme Wright, a strong partnership.

The second half of play turned sour for the Teesside club.

Although John Weeks and Matt Whitaker won their rubber, they dropped a set, and O'Connor and Torpey uncharacteristically were off form and lost in two.

Thus, Carnegie went through by five sets to four with the rubbers score at two-all.

* The inter-division semi-finals take place on Saturday 22nd at Invicta, and the final two weeks later in Ripon.