Sunderland reached the last four of the championship held last weekend at the David Lloyd Centre in Thornaby while the David Lloyd Derby team, led by international veteran Nick Fulwood, and including two Davis Cup players Jamie Delgado and Chris Wilkinson, emerged triumphant over Sutton from Surrey in the final.

North-East champions Invicta Sunderland had made the last four after beating Next Generation Bristol, but then lost to Sutton.

Stockton Council had supported the national finals for eight regional league champions, and which were the culmination of league contests throughout the country since last September.

It was the first time the competition had been nationwide following its humble beginnings in the North East only three years ago. But initiator and organiser Mike Dixon from Dishforth has built up the event and encouraged top ranked British players to take part.

Invicta, the Sunderland Raquets club team, had been no match for Sutton in the semi-finals. Graeme Foreman and Nathan Lundy took a set off Burn and Weal, and Adam Barraclough and Ainsley Kershaw won a tie-break set against that pair, but 2-0 down in the first half of play soon became three, and the Wearsiders' run was over.

Play-off results: Final: David Lloyd Derby 3, Sutton 1.

Semi-finals: DL Derby 3, Esporta Croydon 1; Invicta Sunderland 0, Sutton 4.

Quarter-finals: Next Generation Bristol 1, I Sunderland 3; Berkshire 0, E Croydon 4; Sutton 4, Loughborough University 0; DL Derby 4, Next Generation Glasgow 0.

Match details: semi-finals: Invicta Sunderland 0 Sutton 4 - Adam Barratclough and Ainsley Kershaw lost to Crawly and Fulcher 6-7, 3-6; conc. to Burn and Weal 7-6, 1-2 retd; Graeme Foreman and Nathan Lundy lost to Burn and Weal 6-4, 4-6, 1-6, lost to Crawley and Fulcher 4-6, 1-6.

Quarter-finals: Next Generation Bristol 1, Invicta Sunderland 3 - Paul Maggs and Tom Spinks beat G Foreman and N Lundy 6-4, 3-6, 7-6, lost to A Barratclough and A Kershaw 7-6, 5-7, 6-7; Geoff Barrie and Greg Spink lost to Barratclough and Kershaw 2-6, 3-6, lost to Foreman and Lundy 4-6, 2-6.

Hastings Direct Tour

Durham and Cleveland's Vicky Jones from Boldon and Northumberland's Nicola Trinder were losing semi-finalists in the women's singles at last week's Tour event in Sunderland.

Jones, a junior with a national standard rating of 1.5, had thumped the fourth seed Jenny Holden of Bedfordshire in the quarters for the loss of two games only, but was then stopped by the favourite Katie O'Brien from Yorkshire.

The D and C player had knocked out Devon's Nicola Trelease in straight sets in round one; while the Humbersider went on to lift the title.

Nicola Trinder, seeded two, disposed of county colleague Kim McCluskie in the second round in three sets, but then went out to Katy Shaw of Wales in three. Kim had beaten players from Yorkshire and Middlesex to reach the last eight.

In the men's singles, Wearsider Adam Barraclough, 19, was seeded six following recent good form on the Tour but went out to a Hertfordshire player in round two, by 6-4 in the third set. Nigel Beavers, team captain of Tennis World, was knocked out also by Paul Bishop, Adam's conqueror.

The youngest competitor Sean Galpin, also D and C, won his opening match against a Dorset player, and did well in his next round defeat by the fourth seed Michael Ouvarov. Northumberland's Matthew Lott removed Tennis World's Andrew Deeley of Yorkshire, before losing to second seed Ian Flanagan, who became the champion the following day.

Results - womens singles: final: Katie O'Brien (Yor) beat Katy Shaw (WAL) 6-0, 6-0.

Semi-finals: O'Brien beat Vicky Jones (D&C) 7-6 6-1, Shaw beat Nicola Trinder (N'd) 0-6 6-2 6-3.

Quarter-finals: O'Brien beat F Kinsella (Lan) 6-1 6-0, Jones beat J Holden (Bed) 6-1 6-1, Shaw beat A Martin (Sus) 6-1 6-1, Trinder beat Kim McCluskie (N'd) 6-4 4-6 6-1.

Round two: Jones beat N Trelease (Dev) 6-3 6-1, McCluskie beat L Quiller (Mid) 6-3 0-6 7-6.

Men's singles: final: Ian Flanagan (Not) beat Oliver Freelove (Ke) 6-0 6-2.

Semi-finals: Freelove beat J Torpey (Yor) 6-3 6-2, Flanagan beat M Ouvarov (Mid( 6-0 6-2.

Quarter-finals: Freelove beat S Roberts (Lan) 6-4 7-6, Torpey beat S Lockwood (Suf) 7-6 6-3, Ouvarov beat P Bishop (Her) 6-3 6-3, Flanagan beat Matthew Lott (N'd) 6-4 6-0.

Round two: Bishop beat Adam Barratclough (D&C) 6-1 6-7 6-4, Ouvarov beat Sean Galpin (D&C) 6-3 6-4.