Tennis World juniors achieved a hat-trick of third places in the national finals of the NJCL last weekend in Welwyn Garden City.

The teams had fought through a series of at least four regional rounds after taking the Durham and Cleveland honours in the summer, but encountered stiff opposition in the national semi-finals.

The girls' trio of Vicky Jones, Claire Smith and Laura Bailey lost to eventual champions Gosling on their own courts in the 17 and under event, but then defeated Westward Ho from near Bideford in North Devon for third place.

Similarly the boys 17 and under team comprising Steven Preston, Tom Sutton and Mark Wilson had the misfortune of meeting the favourites, West Worthing (Sussex) in the semi-final, but just lost a very close encounter. They then beat St Andrews representing Scotland in the 3-4 play-off.

In the boys' 15 and under Tennis World's Iain Atkinson, Sean Galpin and Matthew Jackman met their match in East Dorset from Poole but then squeezed home against Cocks and Hens Cambridge for another third place.

Boys 17 and under: Final: West Worthing (Sussex) 4, Batchwood St Albans (Herts) 1.

Semi-finals: West Worthing 4, Tennis World (D and C) 1; Batchwood 5, St Andrews (Fife) 0.

3-4 place: Tennis World 3, St Andrews 2.

Girls 17 and under: Final: Gosling Welwyn Garden City 3, Wrexham 2.

Semi-finals: Wrexham 5, Westward Ho 0; Gosling 4, Tennis World 1.

3-4 place: Tennis World 3, Westward Ho 0.

Boys 15 and under: Final: Charnwood Loughborough 3, East Dorset Poole 2.

Semi-finals: East Dorset 3, Tennis World 2; Charnwood 3, Cocks and Hens Cambridge 2.

3-4 place: Tennis World 3, Cocks and Hens 2.

Girls 15 and under: Final: Boston 4, Levenswood atfield 1.

Boys 13 and under: Final: South Ribble Preston 4, Park Langley Beckenham Kent 1.

Girls 13 and under: Final: Sutton Coldfield 4, Sawbridgeworth Herts 1.

Girls 17 and under

Tennis World was well beaten by host club team Gosling with only Laura Bailey managing the singles win but the 3-4 play-off was the opposite where all three players routed their Devon victims for the loss of six games only in six sets.

Tennis World 1, Gosling 4: Vicky Jones lost to Holly Bagshaw 1-6 2-6; Claire Smith lost to Katie Williams 1-6 1-65; Laura Bailey beat Sara Cowling 6-1 6-4; Bailey and Smith lost to Bagshaw and Williams 2-6 1-6.

Tennis World 3, Westward Ho 0: V Jones beat Helen Tropnell 6-0 6-3; C Smith beat Sarah Clifford 6-0 6-1; L Bailey beat Sally Longford 6-1 6-1.

Boys 17 and under

A very tough semi-final saw both Steven Preston and Mark Wilson go down in deciding one-game sets after sharing sets in normal play. The former came back in his rubber against Miles Bugby, but the tiebreak shoot-out went 8-10. Likewise Wilson v Max Jones with the decider finishing exactly the same. In the play-off for third Preston won his singles, but the others lost before a success in the doubles.

N Junior League

Tennis World 2, West Worthing 3: Tom Sutton lost to James Cuthell 0-6 0-6; Steven Preston lost to Miles Bugby 3-6 6-4 0-1 (8-10); Mark Wilson lost to Max Jones 3-6 7-5 0-1 (8-10); Preston and Wilson beat Bugby and A Hydes 7-5 6-7 1-0 (10-7).

Tennis World 3, St Andrews 2: M Wilson lost to Graeme Hood 2-6 2-6; T Sutton lost to Euan Forbes 6-3 0-6 0-1 (4-10); S Preston beat Tim Weir 6-1 6-1.

Boys 15 and under

Tennis World scraped through the smi-final against East Dorset; Iain Atkinson won his singles easily but Matthew Jackman reached a 10-8 win in the tiebreak decider, while Sean Galpin lost. The crucial doubles (Wath two points) however, went to the team from Poole and a 2-1 lead for the Middlesbrough club became a 3-2 defeat; again a sudden death deciding game sorted it out. A win in the 3-4 place was a little consolation.

Tennis World 2, East Dorset 3: Matthew Jackman beat Lloyd Bruce-Burgess 7-6 3-6 1-0 (10-8); Iaian Atkinson beat Ben Joy 6-3 6-0; Sean Galpin lost to Tom Beach 1-6 3-6; Atkinson and Galpin lost to Beach and Joy 4-6 6-3 0-1 (7-10).

N Junior League

Tennis World 3, Cocks and Hens 0: S Galpin beat Matthew Taylor 6-3 6-3; I Atkinson beat Andrew Brookes 6-1 6-2; M Jackman beat James Thomson 6-3 4-6 1-0 (11-9).

Regional rounds - Boys 17 and under: Tennis World beat South Leeds 4-1; beat Prestwick and Synington 4-1; beat Telford 5-0.

Girls 17 and under: Tennis World beat Thongsbridge Holmfirth 5-0; beat Prestwick and Synington 5-0; Beat Northants County Northampton w/o.

Boys 15 and under: Tennis World beat Sheffield 5-0; beat Prestwick and S 3-2; beat Sutton Coldfield 4-1.

Girls 13 and under: Tennis World beat South Leeds 3-2; lost to St Andrews 2-3.

Boys 11 and under: Tennis World beat Prestwick and S 4-0; beat Goole 3-2; bt David Lloyd Renfrew; lost to East Gloucester Cheltenham 1-4.

Girls 11 and under: Tennis World lost to Hallamshire Sheffield.