Tennis and Squash

Players Tracy and Iain Spears, Linda Hicks, and Mike Dixon won through after facing stiff competition from Jesmond Lawn Tennis Club, Gosforth Lawn Tennis Club, and Shotley & Benfieldside Lawn Tennis Club, eventually taking the honours, beating Shotley & Benfieldside, 2 - 0.

Yarm players Tracy and Iain Spears were the winners of the 2001 Peugeot Mixed Doubles Tournament and will be hoping for similar success this year.

Yarm will now prepare for the Regional Final to be held at David Lloyd Leisure, Renfrew on Sunday, October 6th. The competition will be even tougher at this stage of the Tournament as Yarm face David Lloyd (Renfrew), Dunfermline Tennis Club, and David Lloyd (Leeds) who each won their Area Final. The winner of this Regional Final will go to La Manga Club, Spain, for the Grand Finals in November.

Each member of the overall winning team of four will be given the use of a Peugeot car for three months and the winners and runners up will win a Peugeot bicycle - Wilson tennis sports wear will also be given as prizes.

Squash

It was a dream come true for a North Yorkshire-based American schoolboy when he faced World No 1 Peter Nicol in a top squash tournament. Chris Gordon, a 16-year-old member of Harrogate Squash Club's Yorkshire Premiership side, played Nicol in round two of the Prince Grand Prix at Westhill, Aberdeen. Not surprisingly Gordon lost the match 15-12, 15-10, 15-13, but was never disgraced. In fact the quality of Gordon's play impressed Nicol so much that he gave the lad some impromtu help and advice after the match at a club bearing Nicol's name. Gordon moved with his parents to Harrogate two years ago after advice from his New York coach Richard Chin. He told Gordon that teaming up with England Squash coach David Pearson, who lives in the Rossett area of Harrogate, would make all the difference to his progress up the sport's ladder. And the advice has proved sound. Every point of the clash against Nicol was a never-to-be-forgotten experience for the youngster who played in New York City before heading for England.

His father Albert, a 66-year-old retired banker, said: "Chris was doing well at squash in America. But his coach said he would improve even more if we moved to England and let David Pearson coach him in Harrogate." The teenager now plays for Harogate in the Yorkshire Premiership, where he has already won a match this season.

The American, schooled at home by his mother Kathlene, has another big date looming in December. Despite his years he has been chosen to represent America in the World Under-19 Championships in India.

A spokesman for oganisers of the Prince Grand Prix said of Yorkshire's adopted player: Not surprisingly Nicol went on to win the final, beating second seed Tim Garner (Sussex) 17-15, 14-15, 15-13, 15-6 in 44 minutes, stepping up a gear just when it was needed to blunt his rival's comeback potential.

Hambleton Ales North Yorkshire League

First Division newcomers Bedale II endured a baptism of fire in their opening clash of the League. They faced last season's champions Harrogate Squash II going down 3-0, picking up only one game in the process. Bedale were unfortunate to lose first string Mark Allison in the third game of his clash against Martin Wickenden through injury.

Scores (Harrogate names first): Mark Wickenden beat Mark Allison 9-5, 10-8, Allison retired injured; Bob Peacock beat Dave Wheatley 3-9, 9-1, 9-1, 9-1; Nicola Pratt beat Richard Hebb 9-0, 9-5, 9-1.

The former Ripon side, now playing under the Otley banner, also went down 3-0 in their opening match to Bedale first team in the top flight.

Phil Martin played at first string for Bedale but needed five games before overcoming Matthew Wood.

Meanwhile Dave Smiley's win against Chris Lawton was also a five game affair.

Scores (Bedale names first): Phil Martin beat Matthew Wood 7-9. 9-7. 9-3. 6-9,9-3; Dave Smiley beat Chris Lawton 1-9, 9-2, 9-10, 9-3, 9-2; Alan Peirson beat Steve Thackwray 10-8, 9-2, 5-9, 9-4.

Army newcomers Catterick Garrison made a winning debut in Division Three, beating Harrogate Squash V 3-0 for the loss of only one game.

The Army boys are already being tipped for promotion - provided they can get out their top troops when it counts. And that, of course, will depend on whether any emergency duties will take them away from base. Scores: Harrogate Squash V 0 Catterick Garrison 3 (Catterick names first): Jason Hughes beat James Myrin 7-9, 9-1, 9-4, 9-0; Tim Jones beat Tim Welch 9-2, 9-4, 9-6; Steve Evans beat Jamie Bartle 10-8, 9-6, 10-9.

Division One: Harrogate Squash II 3 (Martin Wickenden, Bob Peacock, Nicola Pratt) Bedale II 0; Otley 0 Bedale 3 (Phil Martin, Dave Smiley, Alan Peirson); Knaresborough 1 (James Lambley) Harrogate Squash 2 (Paul Hotchkiss, Nigel Heward); Harlow 2 (Tom Ellis, Nigel Chambers) Wensleydale 1 (Dave Booth).

Division Two: Bedale IV 2 (John Abbotson, Andrew Hawkswell) Knaresborugh II 1 (Peter Bottomley); Pateley Bridge 3 (Ben Bolton, Steve Terry, Steve Ball) Thorp Perrow 0; Thirsk II 2 (Nigel Laws, Steve Whiteley) Harlow II 1 (Dan Lupton). Division Three: Harrogate Squash V 0 Catterick Garrison 3 (Jason Hughes, Tim Jones, Steve Evans); Harrogate Squash III 2 (Adam Hughes, Ian Woodhead) Knaresborough III 1 (Phil Smelt); Thirsk 2 (Mark Fox, Stefan Tomaszewski) Pateley Bridge II 1 (Dave Mann); Harlow III 1 (John Lovell) Harrogate Squash IV 2 (Jim McGuinness, Richard Elliott).

A former Yorkshire skipper went down to a sound defeat against a rising youngster in the Kall Kwik Harrogate and District Squash League. And after Ian Cawthorne, ex-captain of Yorkshire's Northern Counties' League side, had lost in straight games to Harrogate Squash junior Adam Nowakowski he was swift to praise his rival.

Cawthorne, whose Scott Hall side beat Harrogate 2-1 despite the Nowakowski setback in the Division One clash, said: "Not only a pleasant young man, but he can play squash." Cawthorne went down 8-10, 5-9, 5-9 to Nowakowski. Scott Hall, who won the title last year, achieved victories thanks to Mark Sellers and Scott Wilson.

Sellers defeated Martin Wickenden 9-3, 9-6, 9-2 while Wilson defeated Nicola Pratt 9-2, 9-4, 9-5.

Adel head the First Division after the two opening matches with 22 points. Former champions Moortown are just three points behind.

Adel's fine start to the season was underlined with a 3-0 away win over one time Harrogate-based Nomads.

Scores (Adel names first) Mark Ambler beat John Riley 6-9, 2-9, 9-7, 6-9, 9-5; Sean Fleming beat Joe Wilson 9-3, 9-1, 9-0; Jonty Hodgson beat Jonathan Round 9-6, 9-10, 10-8, 5-9, 9-3. But Moortown slipped up before taking to the courts against Collingham II. They arrived with a player short, forcing them to concede a rubber. In the two matches that were played Robin Mannell and David Lines took victories for the North Leeds side.

Kall Kwik Harrogate and District League

Division One: Otley 1 (Matt Wood) Collingham 2 (Anthony Kettlewell, Andrew Gardiner); Harrogate Squash II 1 (Tim Russell) Ilkley 2 (Shelley Kitchen, Gareth Hutchinson); Collingham II 1 (walk-over) Moortown 2 (Robin Mannell, David Lines); Scott Hall 2 (Mark Sellers, Scott Wilson) Harrogate Squash 1 (Adam Nowakowski); Nomads 0 Adel 3 (Mark Ambler, Sean Fleming, Jonty Hodgson); Chapel Allerton 2 (Peter Ball, Richard Jefferies) Harlow 1 (Tom Ellis). Division Two: Ilkley II 3 (Jonathan Hawks, Neal Cowan, Roger Goodwin-Jones); Boroughbridge 0 Knaresborough 3 (James Lambley, John Evans, Gary Hatch); Knaresborough II 2 (Graham Kilvington, Adrian Forge) Harlow III 1 (Barry Carter); Harlow II 1 (Roger Calvert) Ilkley III 2 (Jon Pannall, Tom Songhurst). Division Three: Collingham IV 2 (Ed Dabrowski, Steve Widdison) Bedale 1 (Andy Hawkswell); Knaresborough III 2 (Andy McMillan, Ian Webber) Pateley Bridge 1 (Chris Lennox); Moortown IV 1 (Martin Wilkinson) Ripon 2 (Neil Jackson, Sue Bailey); Boroughbridge II 2 (Malcolm Cotton, Dave Flintoft) Moortown III 1 (Steve Morley); Harrogate Squash V 2 (Brian Williamson, Peter Cronin) Otley III 1 (Doug Thomson).