Brown Shipley North-East Premier League - Invicta Sunderland defeated Durham University 3-1 to go to the top of the Northern division in the NEPL for the first time this season.

They have two wins and 12 points from four fixtures and stand one point ahead of David Lloyd Teesside who have led since the opening weekend of play but had played one match less. Graeme Foreman and Ainsley Kershaw dropped seven games only in two winning rubbers for the Racquets Club at Doxford Park while Gavin Sutcliffe and Guy Galpin added a third. The University are still looking for a first win and look increasingly unlikely to make The to four for the play-offs. Puma Sunderland, meanwhile, stopped Yarm by 3-1 and swapped fourth place. Durham and Cleveland County players Adam Barratclough and Graham Fowler were again dominant while Puma's second couple, Ian Lumley and Richard Whitfield sneaked home in three sets against Yarm's first pair of Graham Parker and Ian Spears who had changes but lost an equally close contest with Mike Dixon and Don Lilliston on a third set tiebreak.

NEPL Northern Division

P W L RF Pts

Invicta 4 2 2 10 12

David Lloyd 3 3 0 9 11

Tennis World 2 2 0 6 8

Puma Sunderland 2 1 1 5 6

Yarm 4 1 3 4 5

County Ground Newc 1 1 0 2 3

Academy Harrogate 1 0 1 2 2

Durham Univ 3 0 3 2 2

Puma Sunderfland 3, Yarm 1: A Barraclough and G Fowler bt G Parker and I Spears 64 6-4, bt M Dixon and D Lilliston 6-1 6-4; I Lumley and R Whitfield lost to Dixon and Lilliston 7-5 5-7 6-7 bt Parker and Spears 6-7 7-6 6-5. Invicta Sunderland 3, Durham University _ G Foreman and A Kershaw bt M Sheikh and W Cutler 6-1 6-3, bt k Apostolides and A Piner 6-2 6-1; G Galpin and G Sutcliffe bt Apostolides and Piner 6-3 6-2, lost to Cutler and Sheikh 6-2 2-6 1-6. NE Premier League David Lloyd Teesside 2 (40), Puma Sunderland 2 (36) - W Brannan and B O'Connor lost to A Barratclough and G Fowler 4-6 3-6, bt I Lumley and R Whitfield 7-5 6-1; A Smith and M Whitaker bt Lumley and Whitfield 6-2 6-3, lost to Barratclough and Fowler 2-6 6-7. Invicta Sunderland 4, Yarm 0 - G Foreman and A Kershaw bt M Dixon and I Spears 5-7 6-1 6-4, bt C Hingley and D Lilliston 6-1 6-2; G Galpin and G Sutcliffe bt Hingley and Lilliston 6-4 6-4, bt Dixon and Spears 1-6 6-3 7-6. Coming fixtures - Academy v University December 1; Puma v Invicta December 8 prov; Tennis World v County Ground and Puma v Academy December 15; D Lloyd and Tennis World December 28.

North-East Club

Winter League

Durham High School, led by chief coach Geoff Henderson, are an unexpected front runner for promotion to the top eight play-off as current leaders of Green group. There are few unbeaten teams in any of the eight groups such is the tightness of the competition. Thirsk are top in the White group, but escaped by three games recently away at Great Ayton with sets tied at 4-4. Wellfield are ahead in Violet while other promotion hopefuls are Morpeth (Red), Jesmond II (Orange), Jesmond (Yellow), Shotley and Benfieldside (Blue and New Blackwell (Indigo).

First results: Red - Morpeth 7, Jesmond III 1; NLTSRC 4 (35), Rothbury 4 (28); Jesmond 6, Blyth Ridley 2; Rothbury 1, Morpeth 7. Orange - Riding Mill 0, Stocksfield 8; Gosforth 2, Jesmond II 6. Yellow - Cullercoats 7, Collingwood 1; DSS 3, Gosforth II 5; Cullercoats 2, Jesmond 6; Gosforth 2, Collingwood 6; DSS 0, Jesmond 8. Green - Durham Archery II 1, Blaydon 7; Shotley and Benfieldside II 1, D Archery 7; Blaydon 3, Durham High School 5 - Blue - Sunderland H and RC II 3, Shotley and Benfieldside II 5; Burnmoor 2 Blaydon II 6; Durham Moor 6, D Archery III 2; Burnmoor 0, Sunderland H and RC 8; Shotley and Benfieldside 8, D Moor 0. Indigo - David Lloyd 6, Eldon Grove 2; New Blackwell 7, Norton 1; Nunthorpe 7, D Lloyd 1; E Grove 3, N Blackwell 5. Violet -Durham Univ 5, Bishop Auckland 3; Wellfield 6, D Archery 2; D High School II 5, Barnard Castle 3; D Archery 8, Barnard Castle 0. White -Stokesley 1, Thirsk 7; Great Ayton 6, Great Broughton and Kirby 2; Thirsk 8, Great Broughton 0; Bedale II 4 (34), Stokesley 4 (28); Thirsk and Bedale II 0, Stokesley 4 (37), Great Ayton 4 (39)