National Premier League: The national finals of the Premier League which are scheduled for next weekend at the David Lloyd Centre in Thornaby, will have the backing of the local council.

Substantial financial support has been provided to enable the eight-team event to come to a grand climax with the three-day closing stage to be known as the Stockton-on-Tees Council National Premier finals.

It is already known that past and recent Davis Cup players will be involved. For example, Chris Wilkinson and Lee Childs and the one South African international, Marius Barnard and probably also some high ranked Australians will be representing a variety of the eight teams left in the competition.

The North-East champions, Invicta Sunderland, newly crowned only last weekend, know they have a fight on their hands which ever side they meet in next Friday's quarter-final. They are expected to field their winning team again, namely Adam Barratclough, Ainsley Kershaw, Graeme Foreman and Nathan Lundy.

Scotland's Ross Matherson, a sometime top ten ranked player in Britain, will be playing for Next Generation Glasgow, the Scottish Region champions. The David Lloyd Derby team could include Wilkinson and Childs, currently ranked 11, plus international veteran Nick Fulwood.

The likes of Nich Gould (Avon), Tom Spinks (Norfolk) and Nick Weal (Berks) dropped out of the tournament circuit last year so the rankings and are certain to play.

The last eight have been provided out of the 72 teams which contested eight regional competitions throughout the country since last September; the North-East of which was sponsored by Brown Shipley. They are: Invicta Sunderland - North-East and Yorkshire; Next Generation Glasgow - Scotland; Berkshire Windsor and Next Generation Bristol - West and West Midlands; Loughborough Univ and David Lloyd Derby - North West and East midlands; Sutton Junior and Esporta Croydon - South East and East.

The first two quarter-finals will start at 1pm on Friday, March 28 and the other two including Invicta at 6pm. Saturday will have the semi-finals.

Tickets are available from David Lloyd Teesside on (01642) 632100, Durham and Cleveland LTA on (0191)-522 5005 and Mr Mike Dixon on (01845)-578 465.