WESTFIELDS Richmond and Stillington are the last two remaining clubs from North Yorkshire involved in the grand finals of the competition.

The former has a place in the stage two playoff final against Collingwood from North Tyneside, while the latter meet Alnwick I from the far north of Northumberland.

Such is the geographical spread of the three tennis counties that these finals will be contested at neutral venues. Westfields made the closing round in the fifth-eight playoff by beating Eldon Grove I by 7-1 and Eldon Grove II by 5-3.

David Clark, Danny McCann, Jennifer Dilley and Adie Woods were the four players who despatched the Hartlepool club’s first team in the quarterfinal, for teams finishing fifth in their respective league groups, dropping the one set only at the end of the contest.

The semi-final away versus Eldon’s second team was much closer, with a 2-2 scoreline after the first round of play. Eldon took the men’s doubles, but Adie Woods and Sue Lussey drew Westfields level in the women’s by 6-3, 6-3. The home team, however, had a games advantage of four.

Richmond started the second half in fine style, each mixed doubles pair capturing the first set to boost the score to 4-2, although the second pair of Mike Sharp and Ms Lussey needed a tie-break to succeed. This was to prove crucial at that stage in the proceedings.

The games totals acquired were 27 to each side, but the Yorkshire club had that fourth set to their name.

Dave Clark and Adie Woods clinched their rubber 6-3, 6-1 to ensure a win and progress to the final, though Eldon Grove did take the last set, their third altogether.

Stillington, very much newcomers to the event, made history by being the first club from the York League to realise a place in the NECWL grand finals.

They did so by beating Burnmoor at home in the thirdeight quarter-finals 6-2 and then received a walkover from Durham Moor II.

John Burdett and Peter Simpson ended 3-6, 4-6 in the men’s doubles of the opening half of play, but captain Liz Burdett and Cookman restored the balance with a 7-6, 7-5 success in the women’s doubles. Stillington were 21-23 down in games, however, at the commencement of the mixed doubles.

Almost simultaneously, each team took the first set in the two mixed doubles, and by the same score of 6-3. So, all square at 3-3.

The home team pressed on and managed to acquire two sets to complete the victory; the Burdetts finishing their rubber 3-6, 6-3, and Simpson and Cookman 6-3, 6-0.

It is now an even more surprising first time for Stillington to test their talents against a team from yet another league, the N and D after meeting others up to this point from the Harrogate, Cleveland, Darlington and Sunderland Leagues.

In the fourth-eight, Boroughbridge gained a walkover from Stokesley but then lost surprisingly to Bishop Auckland I, but by just four games in the semifinal.

Bishop’s men won by 7-6, 6-0 in the first round, but Anne Roberts and Robyn Sheridan equalised the match score with a 6-1, 6-3 success.

Mark Davies and Ms Roberts took the number one mixed after the interval by 6-3 6-4 but the visitors’ 6-3 6-1 win in the second mixed left the final score at four-all and 36 to 34 in games.

Tollerton were unable to make the sixth-eight quarterfinal fixture; Northallerton and Norton failed to meet the playing date in the seventh-eight; and Hutton Rudby squeezed past Great Broughton and Kirkby by 32 games to 29 in the eighth-eight quarter before going out to Yarm seconds in the semis, also on games.