A team which has taken six years to claw its way to the top flight in League lost their first match in Division One with the final game on court. The Academy went down 5-4 to fellow championship rivals Harlow in a knife-edge finish.

The Academy's long-awaited debut in Division One, having won promotion each season from Division Six, saw the pendulum swing in each side's favour before the final verdict was sealed.

The combination of Colin Smith and Gia Margolis secured Harlow'S victory as they defeated Ross Leventhal and Sue Rutherford, The Academy skipper, 6-3 in a single set finish.

The Academy pairing had led 2-0 before the Harlow fightback took them to victory.

Rutherford said: "It was a fantastic finish to our first match of the season. The first Division Six match we played was also against Harlow - in the sleet and rain. This time it was a lovely evening although we lost the deciding match."

The Academy could have fielded a much stronger team from their ranks - including Yorkshire county players - but wanted to give other players a chance to sample a higher grade of play following promotion last season.

Added The Academy captain: "Whenever you get promotion you never quite know just what level the next standard will be. This was a new experience for us and Harlow have a very good team.

"When we started out in Division Six, I don't think any of us had played outdoors before so it was really hard on the softies who had been used to indoor courts, particularly when we faced the sleet in our first match," she said.

Harlow club chairman Brian Anson said after the team had gone 2-1 down in the first round it had produced a very close finish. He praised the standards reached by The Academy's first pairing Doug Keen and Victoria Fuller. Anson added: "This was a very good start for us with a team strengthened by the arrival of Simon Daly and Sophie Jacob from Birstwith. I think this win bodes well for the new season," he said.

Scores, Harlow 5 The Academy 4 (Harlow names first): Simon Daly and Sophie Jacob lost to Doug Keen and Victoria Fuller 1-6, 1-6; beat Harry Worthington and Julie Abbott 6-2; beat Ross Leventhal and Sue Rutherford 6-1, 6-2.

Colin Smith and Gia Margolis lost to Keen and Fuller 3-6, 2-6; halved against Worthington and Abbott 6-4, 4-6; beat Leventhal and Rutherford 6-3. John Tindle and Pauline Knight lost to Keen and Fuller 0-6; beat Worthington and Abbott 6-4, 6-0; halved against Leventhal and Rutherford 6-1, 5-6.

Meanwhile, Academy coach Jane Donald, the Yorkshire county player, announced she would play only infrequently in the side this season, saving her appearances for key matches. The same applies to David Drake, another Yorkshire county player, who also coaches at The Academy.

But rivals should watch out this season for promising Academy players including Charlotte O'Brien and Rebecca Sowden, both tipped to create an impression by Donald.

When The Academy joined the league six years ago they were refused permission at the league's annual meeting to by-pass lower divisions and so have battled their way to the top by securing promotion each term.

Sides tipped to do well in Division One this season include Harrogate Racquets, The Academy, Harlow and Thirsk.

Meanwhile, the new season has heralded a welcome return to competitive play for Harrogate Racquets veteran player Trevor Nuttall, who had been sidelined by illness.

Nuttall's return in Division Three saw him winning all his three matches, helping his club's B side to victory by 8 to against Harlow C.

Additional teams from Wetherby, Harrogate Racquets, Thirsk and Northallerton are playing in the league this season.