Tennis Boroughbridge go down in history after first title win

They clinched the title with a 7-2 home win over Harlow, leaving title pretenders The Academy, Thirsk and Harrogate Racquets trailing.

There was champagne to mark the club's feat, but a major celebration will be held as part of the league's presentation evening on September 26.

Team captain Suzanne Lodge said of the triumph: "This is fantastic for the club, something we have never done before. We won the championship because we had such a strong squad but the success will also create more interest in the club."

Boroughbridge paved the way for the title, coming within a single point of securing it, by defeating Harrogate Racquets 6-3.

At one stage the match was finely balanced, players going into the last round of matches with the overall match score level at 3-3. But Boroughbridge went on to win all three remaining clashes.

Match scores Harrogate Racquets 3 Boroughbridge 6 (Boroughbridge names first): Graeme Campbell and Suzanne Lodge halved with Jonathan Smail and Gillian Smail 4-6 6-4; halved with Oliver Scaife and Cath Varley 6-4 3-6; beat John Hargreaves and Frederique Brown 6-3.

Ian Grasby and Kathy Farrand beat Smail and Smail 6-3; halved with Scaife and Varley 4-6 6-5; halved with Hargreaves and Brown 1-6 6-2.

John Rowe and Gayle Partridge lost to Smail and Smail 5-6 5-6; beat Scaife and Varley 6-1; beat Hargreaves and Brown 6-4 6-2.

Scores from Boroughbridge's 7-2 championship-clinching victory over Harlow were (Boroughbridge names first): Graeme Campbell and Gayle Partridge beat Simon Daly and Sophie Jacob 6-0 6-4; beat M Oddy and Rosemary Carter 6-2; beat Rowland Hom and Pauline Knight 6-0.

John Rowe and Kathy Farrand beat Daly and Jacob 6-4; beat Oddy and Carter 6-3 6-1; against Hom and Knight conceded, 0-6.

Alistair Turnbull and Suzanne Lodge lost to Daly and Jacob 2-6; beat Oddy and Carter 6-2; beat Hom and Knight 6-3 6-2.

Boroughbridge round off their season by playing relegation haunted Bedale on Sunday (Aug 17).

Victory would give them a four point margin over their nearest rivals for the silverware.

During the season the Boroughbridge team squad, which has been backed up by Alistair Campbell and Ashley Cope, has also won fame for its hospitality.

After match teas have been provided at the nearby Ship Inn, winning praise from a string of visiting sides to the three-court Boroughbridge club.

Meanwhile, Boroughbridge first team members sent a special thank you bouquet of flowers to Brenda Campbell, wife of first teamer Graeme Campbell. Mrs Campbell gave her blessing to her husband's appearance for the first team in their vital win over Harrogate Racquets despite being near to delivering the couple's baby.

Team captain Suzanne Lodge said: "We wanted to let her know how grateful we were for her understanding in the circumstances."

There was a double celebration at Boroughbridge when their second team clinched promotion from Division Four along with Ripon second team.

Boroughbridge second team has been captained by Tony Rowland and its squad has included: Neil Jackson, Ann Ryan, Maureen Wilkinson, Enrique Bertrand, Jill Norman, Lee Partridge, Gill Wood, John Rowe, Howard Eastwood and Wendy Biggin.

Several other key decisions have been decided in the league.

In Division Two The Academy A have clinched the championship and are now promoted to join their first team. Harlow A will be joining them in Division One.

Ripon have clinched the Division Three championshp with Thirsk A also gaining promotion.

Although Ripon A and Boroughbridge A are promoted from Division Four the title has yet to be decided. Dacre A are relegated from Division Four and Spa A drop into Division Six.

Division One: Boroughbridge 7 Harlow 2 (Boroughbridge win title); Thirsk 1.5 The Academy 7.5; Thirsk 5 Harlow 4; The Academy 8.5 Harrogate Racquets A 0.5; Bedale 4.5 Spa 4.5; Harrogate Racquets 3 Boroughbridge 6.

Division Two: Knaresborough 5 Dacre 4; The Academy A 8.5 Dacre 0.5; Raskelf 4.5 Harlow A 4.5; Dacre 9 Harrogate Racquets B 0; Harlow B 4 The Academy A 5; Knaresborough 5 Ben Rhydding 4; Raskelf 4.5 The Academy A 4.5.

Division Three: Wetherby 3 Starbeck 3; Harlow C 1.5 Thirsk A 7.5; Starbeck 5 Northallerton 4; Masham 4.5 Wetherby 4.5; Ripon 9 West Tanfield 0.

Division Four: Knaresborough A 2.5 Boroughbridge A 6.5; Northallerton A 5 Dacre A 4; Wetherby A 4 Ripon A 5; Harlow D 2 Harrogate Racquets C 7; Knaresborough A 3 Dacre A 6; Northallerton A 9 Harlow D 0.

Division Five: Spa A 1.5 Birstwith 7.5; Bedale A 6 Masham A 3; Birstwith 4.5 West Tanfield A 4.5; Masham A 5 Ripon B 4; Spa A 1.5 Thirsk B 7.5.

Division Six: Northallerton B 3 Starbeck A 3; West Tanfield B 1.5 Knaresborough B 7.5; Harrogate Racquets D 2.5 Northallerton B 6.5; West Tanfield B 5 Spa B 4; Thirsk C 2 Dacre B 7.

Northumberland Open

The host county's James Nelson and Nicola Trinder took the principal open singles titles last week in Jesmond, but Durham and Cleveland's Sean Galpin was finalist in both the boys 18 and under and 16U singles and made the last eight in the men's.

Nelson, ranked 33rd in Britain, defeated Simon Roberts of Lancashire in the final by 6-2, 6-2, after disposing of Sean Damer sometimes of Darlington, in the last four. Galpin, from Washington, meanwhile had fallen to Roberts in the quarters, following his win over Martin Baldridge, once of Billingham, the round before. Tennis World's Nick Osborne and Mark Franklin made the last eight in the singles.

The women's singles was very much a host county affair at the NLTSRC, though Claire Smith from Hutton Rudby, was semifinalist. She went out to Kim McCluskie, 6-4 6-4; that player then lost to Trinder in the final.

The 18-and-under boys event saw young Galpin, rated 2.1 only just succumb to Paul Nicholls of Leicestershire in the final by 6-3 2-6 6-4 after knocking out Yorkshire's Joe Wood in the semis. Nunthorpe's Steven Preston was a quarterfinalist.

A surprise package was the Australian teenager Ben Tullett temporarily residing in Thirsk while visiting relatives.

He made the last four in the boys' under 18, losing to Nicholls after beating Preston, and the last eight in the men's losing to Damer following a third round win over Northumberland man Ian Baggett.

The girls 18s saw top seed Jo Ashbridge of the host county beat Durham High School's Sarah Harding 6-3 6-3; the latter had stopped Jessica Lott in the semis but had failed to make the final in the 16s.

Galpin did, but for the second time went down to Nicholls, in straight sets on this occasion. Dean Hird from Shincliffe lost to Nicholls in the last four, and was very unfortunate to meet that player in the last eight of the 18U.

Results: Men's Singles: Final J Nelson (N'D) beat S Roberts (LAN) 6-2 6-2; semi finals - Nelson beat S Damer (N'D) 6-0 6-3, Roberts beat A Alabidi (N'D) 6-2 6-1; quarterfinals - Nelson beat P Nicholls (LEI) 6-0 6-4, Damer beat B Tullett (Thirsk) 6-3 6-4, Alabidi beat M Lott (N'D) 6-2 6-4, Roberts beat S Galpin (D&C) 7-5, 6-2; round three - Tullett beat I Baggett (N'D) 6-3 3-6 6-3, Damer beat N Osborne (D&C) 7-5 6-4, Galpin beat M Baldridge (N'D) 6-4 6-4, Roberts beat M Franklin (D&C) 6-2 6-2.

Women's Singles: Final: N Trinder (N'D) beat K McCluskie (N'D) 7-6 6-2; semifinals - Trinder beat J Ashbridge (N'D) 6-1 6-1, McCluskie beat C Smith (D&C) 6-4 6-4l; quarterfinals - Smith beat B Ashbridge (N'D) 6-1 6-2.

Men's Doubles: final - J Nelson & M Ratcliffe (N'D) beat A Alabidi & S Damer 6-3 4-6 7-5; semifinals - Nelson & Ratcliffe beat I Baggett & M Powell (N'D) 6-4 6-2; Alabidi & Damer beat N Beavers (D&C) & M Franlkin 6-4 6-1; round three - Beavers & Franklin beat J Nicholson (N'D) & S Roberts 6-3 7-5. Mixed doubles: final J Nelson & N Trinder beat S Roberts & J Ashbridge 7-6 6-2; semifinals Nelson and Trinder beat N Beavers and C Smith 6-1 6-1.

Boys Singles: 18U final - P Nicholls (LEI) beat S Galpin (D&C) 6-3 2-6 6-4; semifinals - Nicholls beat B Tullett (Thirsk) 6-2 6-2, Galpin beat J Wood (Yor) 6-2 6-3; quarterfinals - Tullett beat S Preston (Nun) 6-4 6-4, Nicholls beat D Hird (SHRC) 6-0 6-1, Galpin beat S Telfer (NLT) 6-2 6-2; round three - Wood beat A Robinson (SHRC) 6-3 6-4.

U16 final: P Nicholls beat S Galpin 6-3, 6-2; semifinals Nicholls beat D Hird 6-0, 6-2, Galpin beat J Wood 7-5, 6-0; quarterfinals Galpin beat P Murray (SCO) 6-2, 6-0; Wood beat A Robinson 6-3, 6-2; Hird beat S Toomer (WIL) 6-4, 6-4; 14U final: S Whittle (CUM) beat K Waymond (WIL) 6-0, 6-0.

Girls Singles: 18U final: J Ashbridge (N'D) beat S Harding (DHS) 6-3, 6-4. Semifinals Ashbridge beat C Coatsworth (NLT) 6-0 6-1, Harding beat J Lott 6-4 6-1; quarterfinals Harding beat F Staines (Dar) 6-4 6-3.

16U final: S Parker (N'D) wo J Lott; semifinals Lott beat M O'Sullivan (YOR) 6-4 6-4, Parker beat S Harding 6-2, 6-1.

U14: Final - S Parker beat K Howie (NLT) 6-0 6-4.