Slazenger Harrogate and District League - It's a fight to the finish for leaders The Academy and Harlow as they go into the final stages for the First Division title.

The Academy, aiming to create a league record of winning the promotion every season since joining Division Six and then rounding it off with the top crown, currently have a one point advantage over Harlow. Both have played 12 matches.

Current champions Harrogate Racquets, with two matches in hand and six points behind top of the table The Academy, seem to be out of the race.

But in a rain-affected match The Academy failed to achieve a clean sweep against bottom-of-the-table Dacre, winning only 4-2.

Scores (Dacre names first): Paul Ellison and Christine Stringer lost to David Brown and Sue Stothard 1-6, 1-6; beat Mike Hanson and Sue Rutherford 6-3, 6-4.

Sam Critchley and Freda Ellison lost to Brown and Stothard 1-6, 0-6; lost to Harry Worthington and Julie Abbott 2-6, 1-6.

Robert Harper and Christine Goldsborough lost to Worthington and Abbott 1-6, 3-6; beat Hannam and Rutherford 6-3, 6-4.

Meanwhile Thirsk were unable to halt the runaway success of The Academy's season, going down 7.5-2.5 to the championship favourites.

Scores (Academy names first): David Whitelaw and Sue Stothard beat Nick Hatch and Debbie Hannam 6-4, 6-2; beat David Titchmarsh and Carol Collinson 6-3; beat Glen Robinson and Tes Williamson 6-1, 6-1.

Harry Worthington and Julie Abbott halved with Hatch and Hannam 6-5, 5-6; beat Titchmarsh and Collinson 6-2, 6-4; beat Robinson and Williamson 6-1.

Andy Cousins and Sue Rutherford lost to Hatch and Hannam 0-6; beat Titchmarsh and Collinson 6-5, 6-3; beat Robinson and Williamson 6-3, 6-0.

Harlow's championship hopes were kept alive in their domestic challenge against Harlow A, the first team taking a 7.5-1.5 victory.

Scores (Harlow first team names first): Simon Daly and Sophie Jacob beat Richard Pegg and Julie Bradley 6-5, 6-5; halved with Mark Styles and Gaye Wright 6-5, 5-6; beat Chris Reynolds and Sue Couture 6-1.

Colin Smith and Gia Margolis beat Pegg and Bradley 7-5; beat Styles and Wright 6-4, 6-1; beat Reynolds and Couture 6-3, 6-3.

John Tindall and Pauline Knight beat Pegg and Bradley 6-4, 6-2; lost to Styles and Wright 4-6; beat Reynolds and Couture 6-2, 6-5.

The fight to avoid relegation from Division One centres on Dacre, whose position seems hopeless at the bottom with just one point, Harlow A with four points and Bedale on five. All three have played 11 matches.

In Division Two Thirsk A are already relegated having won just one match all season.

Replacing Thirsk in Division Two will be Masham, who have clinched promotion with their latest victory, but have not secured the championship.

Masham's 5-4 away win over Harlow C ensured their promotion. Jonathan Wilbye and Judith Thompson combined to serve up two victories for the newly-promoted side while Rob Macdonald and Hannah Rogers also secured two victories and halved their other match. The remaining half rubber came from Nigel Brewster and Ann Mann.

Birstwith are relegated from Division Three while Ripon and The Academy A have already won promotion from Division Four.

In this division Ripon suffered their first defeat of the season when The Academy closed the gap on them at the top to just one point as the two sides battle for the championship title. The Academy took the top of the table clash 6-3.

Scores: Andy Cousins and Beth Billig won two matches for The Academy; Andrew Taylor and Lynne Taylor also won two and halved a third while Gianfranco Cavestro and Clare Simister won a single rubber and halved another clash.

For Ripon Will Singleton and Amanda Kayes won two matches while there was a single victory success for Chris Fox and Vicky Hunter.

In Division Five Northallerton have clinched promotion along with Thirsk B. But the championship title has yet to be decided between the two sides.