Jacky Gardner, Durham and Cleveland's number two player from Redcar, took the women's Over-45 title at the annual national championships last weekend in Manchester.

The county's multi-champion who is employed at the Middlesbrough FE College defeated Kent's Karen Hume in the fifty minutes final be 6-9, 9-7, 10-8, 9-3 to confirm her status as top seed.

The first three sets had been up and down with Ms Gardner overturning a 5-1 deficit in the second, and recovering from losing a large lead in the third, to finish off the job comfortably in the fourth set. She had knocked out Avon's Jan Ellis by 9-4, 7-9, 9-2, 9-7 in the semi finals.

County colleague Faith Sinclair from Durham only just failed to hold on to her Over-50 title as first seed again, but Rebecca Czuczman of Kent recovered from two sets down to wrest the honours. The match was well passed the hour mark before a retirement by the D and C player left the scoreline at 6-9, 4-9, 10-8, 9-6, 8-7 in favour of the Kent veteran. Faith had beaten Margaret Chambers of Cambridgeshire y 6-9, 10-9, 9-2, 9-0 ion the semifinal.

Dave Lumsdon from Durham, playing at Chester-le-Street this season, was seeded one in the men's Over-50s, and reached the final but was stopped by David Manning of Yorkshire 9-3, 6-9, 9-4, 9-5. He had survived a lengthy semifinal tussle with Cumbria's Ronnie Bell by 9-0, 9-3, 2-9, 8-10, 9-1, but could not repeat his 2002 success in this event.

Nunthorpe's Leon Kirton made his debut at the championships, clinched a first ever win by beating Norfolk's Brian Hawkes for the loss of six points only, but then was stopped by Manning 9-6, 9-3, 5-9, 10-9.

Tom Elves from Boldon reached the semifinals in the over 50s but was knocked out by the favourite Philip Ayton of Sussex in three sets. He had beaten a Cheshire competitor Rodney Burwell in four sets in the quarters.

D and C stalwart Neil Harrison of Nunthorpe was no match for champion Phil Whitlock in the Over-40 event and went out in round one. In the Over-45s, Colin Shields of Darlington was making his debut but went out to a Middlesex player in the opening round. John Shaw from Chester-le-Street who usually makes a good showing at the nationals, was forced to withdraw from the over-60s through illness.

International Bryan Beeson from Gateshead, playing at Sunderland Racquets this year, though a Northumberland County man, was seeded for the Over-40s and made the semifinals.

Whitlock knocked him out in three sets; after he had easily seen off a Welsh player in three in the last eight.