NUNTHORPE'S Lynsey Davison, 23, captured her first women's singles title as a professional tennis player with a 7-6, 6-2 success over Janice Torr of Essex in the final of last week's Hastings Direct tour event in Ilkley.

The Durham and Cleveland number two, seeded three for the event, joined an ever-increasing list of first-time tour winners despite having no great liking for grass courts.

She thought the final was beyond her reach, but gained the first-set initiative from 1-2 down with four games in a row.

Astute play, with variations in pace and angle and a high percentage of first serves in, was well rewarded, but her opponent tenaciously clawed her way back into the match and won four games in succession herself.

Davison stopped the rot by breaking the Londoner at 6-5 when she was serving for the set and kept her nerve in the tie-break, saving set points to eventually come through by 8-6.

The second set was a formality as the Teessider broke her duck. She said afterwards: "I'm £525 better off and have a title. It's all come together at last. I've been working very hard at Tennis World with my coach, Brent Parker."

Davison also reached the Hastings Direct final in Nottingham last month and has shown steady progress, despite a lengthy injury break, during 2003.

She qualified for the £10,000 Dublin tournament a few days before Ilkley with two wins, including an unexpected success against the favourite. But she was knocked out in a tight first round match in the main draw and moved to Yorkshire as a result.

But those efforts provided points to establish herself in the world rankings again and she should remain listed at least until next February. Further success will almost certainly guarantee a more permanent place.

Tournaments in Wrexham and Westende in Belgium are her next targets.

At Ilkley, Davison beat Cheshire's Samantha Murray in the semi-finals in straight sets after comfortable wins, on hard courts, over Rachel Porsz of Surrey and Yorkshire's Danielle Hock.

County colleague Vicky Jones was a surprise semi-finalist. She followed a first round win over a qualifier with a 6-4, 6-3 removal of second seed Kirsty McRae and then came through a gruelling three-set marathon against another Scot, Jenna Cockburn.

Sadly, playing three matches in one day left the 18-year-old unable to play her best as she went down in the last four to Janice Torr.

Adam Barraclough, also 18, reached the last eight in the men's singles. But Mark Growcott of Staffs stopped him in three sets after the Durham and Cleveland junior had taken the opening set.