County events - THE series of Durham County Primary Schools' festivals continue next week in Bishop Auckland (St. John's, Tuesday) and Willington Parkside on Thursday.

School teams in both areas will compete in the unique fun-based competition aiming to join the four teams already qualified for the county final.

The project, organised by Darlington Table Tennis Club, is bringing the sport to hundreds of youngsters and is backed by sponsors Jarvis Sports and the Government Sportsmatch scheme. The eventual top team will be the first winners of the Sportsmatch Trophy.

The next two rounds of the Jarvis Sports Durham Junior Grand Prix series of tournaments will be held in June, at Haughton School in Darlington and at the Seaburn Centre in Sunderland.

Already a growing number of primary school youngsters are taking up the sport with hopes of reaching the high standard of the Durham juniors.

Further evidence of the growing stature of the Darlington juniors came when the club set a British League record by turning out a senior men's team in Division Three with an average age of 12.

Philip Robinson (14), Andrew Leighton (13), Mark Simpson and David Meads, both 11, were all successful in a 4-4 draw with Barrow in the final match of the season.

Not to be outdone by the boys, Joanne Meads (14), also gained senior success by taking the women's grade four singles title at the English Grand Prix tournament in Sheffield.a

Eight Darlington club players have entered the English junior national championships this weekend in Wigan. They are brothers Jonathan and Marc de Wind, brother and sister Joanne and David Meads, Andrew Leighton, Chris Close, Mark Simpson and Claire Wilson whose matches include a meeting with Georgina Walker, England number two junior and number six senior at Under-17 level.

All have entered the Under-14 and Under 17 tournaments.

Simpson faces a fascinating clash with England academy player Darius Knight who hails from the champion London Progress club, Darlington's big rivals in the British League.