EIGHT couples will line up for the IT Sports Ladies Doubles tournament at Fulford on September 17 (1pm).

They include holders Wendy Stirke and Louise Lister (York), who came through a tight group at Bishopthorpe after holding out against Selby's Lucy and Kirsty Godwin who won four of their five matches to qualify.

Stirke and Lister were beaten 5-4 by Helen Jackson and Sue Perkins (Castlegarth), who then lost to Fran Critchley and Catherine Postlethwaite (Bishopthorpe) 5-4

Stirke/Lister and the Godwins both went through to finals day with 36 games each.

York duo Helen Leach and Christine Place (York) and Sue Espiner and Kate Rorrison (Wigginton) came through the Fulford round.

Leach and Place edged out both Di Ekers and Anna Baker (York) and Jill Williamson and Jill Barker (Cliffe) 5-4 to top the group with 32 games - two more than Espiner and Rorrison who beat the York pairing in the fourth round.

Jill McCreedy and Jill Rounce (Fulford) were in sparkling form at Wistow, dropping only three games. They will be joined in the finals by Poppleton pair Sue Peach and Rosie Cantrell.

The final line-up will be: W Stirke and L Lister (York), H Leach and C Place (York), L Godwin and K Godwin (Selby), S Espiner and K Rorrison (Wigginton), S Peach and R Cantrell (Poppleton) and J McCreedy and J Rounce (Fulford).

The first stage of the Beryl Bean over-55 ladies doubles tournament is being held on Saturday.

Holders Denise Neary and Helen Hadfield look like being the couple to beat again but Marilyn Almgill and Anthea Brogden and Carol Martin and Sue Sumner will put in a big challenge.

The matches are:

Dunnington: Sandra Burley and Ann Mead, Caryl Raven and Ann Murray, Janet Hare and Ruby Gourlay and Beryl Bean and Eileen Lavender.

Wistow: Denise Neary and H Hadfield, Shirley Leak and Viv Williamson, Marian Broadbent and Maggie Crawford, Carol Martin and Sue Sumner, Jill Marsden and Pat Lyons.

Fulford: Marilyn Almgill and Anthea Brogden, Pauline Hill and Lyn Minto, Anne Storer and Alison Ward, Mary Kemp and Pat Hickson, Barbara Plummer and Liz Stacey.

Late entries can be made to tournament secretary Terry Haw up to Thursday.

Wigginton sent down by York II

THE final match in division one of the IT Sports Mixed Tennis League decided the final division one relegation place.

Wigginton knew that they had to win by a large score against York II to stay up.

But York, led by their new partnership of Karen Retief and Tito Latoja won 59-49 and after a good second half of the season have finished third.

Ian Tooms and Kate Rorrison won two of their rubbers for Wigginton, as did Danni Baker and Phil Langley, with brother James Langley having his first taste of division one tennis along with Denise Crane.

Tadcaster have already been relegated with Wigginton.

Ann Murray and Bob Burbridge were Dunnington's match-winners winning 27 games against Bubwith at the third attempt of playing the division eight match.

Sheila Stephenson and Terry Molloy won their second rubber 12-0 for Dunnington, while Bubwith's top scorers Dawn Laverack and Chris Cobley ended their season with a 10-2 victory.

There is one result outstanding in division ten which will decide the two promotion places with the remaining divisions finalised.

Matches not played due to weather have not affected any promotion or relegation issues.

The final of the Graham Wykes Handicap Knockout competition will be played at Wigginton on Sunday, September 18 between previous winners Dunnington and first-time finalists Cliffe (2pm).

Updated: 10:45 Tuesday, September 06, 2005